Pink Camellias
by SethSolare
Summary: Taking place about a year after Keitaro and Naru confess to Grandma Hina of their love, the other girls are beginning to learn more and more about love, what it means, and, most of all, how to have it. This story uses elements from Tuesday Morning.
1. I:01: Weaknesses

_Welcome to my second fic, sorta. This opening note, by the way, was added July 6, 2006, after re-reading the story. Since I deleted the original, I have decided to re-release this story in an edited fashion so as to correct for large details that I plan to use in upcoming chapters. _

_Let it be known, this story does contain a bit more of a mature theme (and it's not sex, by the way.) So if you're not into that, shoo! For the less prudish people, I want to let you know that the reason I changed some things is because my style has changed a bit. Instead of lovey dovey stuff, I wanted to write about human issues. This fic will deal with many issues of the human condition that I will explain as they come up. For the meantime, enjoy the redone first chapter of Pink Camellias._

_By the way, it might do you good to learn what the original name of the story was called by finding out what the flower means. Google it!_

- - -

Pink Camellias  
01 – Weaknesses  
SethSolare

- - -

Bringing a book around with her was a little bit of a weird thing for Motoko. No longer in her traditional clothes, Motoko walked around reading her English book. She hadn't touched the katana in days. At this time of day, she would be practicing intensely. However, now, she was walking slowly up the stairs to the deck where Shinobu usually hung the clothes. She knew the deck was the only place she could study. Nowhere else in the house could she get the peace she needed. Somehow, if she managed to find it, Su would be right there, clinging. If not that, it would either be Kitsune getting drunk or Keitaro screaming. All the members in the house contributed to the overall chaos making studying indoors a counterproductive activity.

"_I don't know how Keitaro and Naru could ever study in there,_" Motoko thought to herself. It was a rather brisk day, that Friday afternoon. It was already March and she was incredibly hot. Her new tanktop was hardly helping her keep cool. It already had been hours since she'd left the house. To make it worse, she'd stayed inside all day. She recently finished her exams second try at Tokyo U, now at the age of 20, and felt pretty accomplished. However, with the weight lifted off her shoulders, there wasn't much else to do, anymore.

It was difficult for her to stay in that place by herself. She didn't have a lot of friends in cram school, besides Su and Shinobu. It seemed even worse because, without her sword, she felt almost naked. It was like a married woman without her wedding ring. Perhaps the discomfort was all because of that sword. More like a feeling of loneliness, she really wondered if it was wise to ever leave the house without her protection.

"_I should really get out of this place._" And with that thought, she closed her book and left the house.

Motoko walked through the streets of Hinata, passing by several shops. At times, she fancied herself in clothes in store windows. Even though it was a small town, she liked the store displays well enough. She loved the restaurants, too. And, of course, the new tea shop. She had never been to any other place like that except the one attached to the dorm that Kitsune ran. Motoko, however, wanted to try something new for the day.

"_It wouldn't hurt me, I suppose. I guess they're not waiting for me,_" Motoko told herself. Her conviction in that statement was low, however. Everyone would always ask where she was and why she'd be coming in so late. It was almost annoying since Kitsune would be there talking about Motoko's alleged boyfriend. Naturally, she denied anything having to do with boys and dating.

In truth, however, Motoko had always wondered. As she walked around the school, she noticed the girls and their boyfriends. In the halls, it was like some pair would always be kissing. Though she didn't like any of the boys there, she still wondered. She always saw some cute guy somewhere.

She approached the counter and asked for their strongest tea. As she looked up, however, she noticed the guy standing there. Blushing completely, she stared back down and pulled out the money from her pocket. She didn't pay attention to a single word he said. She simply took the change and sat down. She did, however, remember the nametag, Yumihiko.

She wished that she could talk to him. He had gorgeous blonde hair, possibly dyed, and those dark eyes were just the prettiest things. But it was his hair that got her. It was so scraggly and unkempt that it was cute. He wore an apron just like Haruka did, in that beige color. As she watched him walk toward her, he had such a great smile.

"Here's your tea," he said to her. Finally noticing his voice, she noticed how deep and kind and soft it was. Though the three words he spoke were short and almost useless, Motoko loved that voice. The way he said those simple words dazzled her. Then, she noticed how immature she had become. Noticing her childishness, she quickly reverted back to her old, shy self and blushed once more.

"Want anything else?" he asked her.

"_How about a kiss?_" she imagined asking him. Her blush grew redder and she couldn't contain her embarrassment for much longer. However, she tried her best to keep it all inside, difficult as it was. "No," she replied.

She quietly sipped her tea reading the book she was carrying with her. After several paragraphs, she looked for Yumihiko again. He walked around serving the tea that he had to. She spent her time watching him walk while looking at the words on the page. Even his walk was cute. Everything about him was just unbearably wonderful. And her inability to tear her eyes away from him made it worse.

She tried reading a little more, staring down at the page, this time. After five minutes, though, she couldn't help it. But this time, looking up, she saw a young redhead girl serving tea. Realizing that he was the only server Motoko saw, she wondered if he had left.

"_Maybe it would be best if I just leave now,_" she thought. Standing up quickly and closing her book, she walked to the door attempting nonchalance. But as she slipped to the door, Yumihiko bumped right into her. "_Oh my gosh, he's right there,_" she thought.

"Sorry about that," he said to her. Without diverting her attention from him, she nodded slowly without blinking. She wanted to run away from him, but she was frozen in place. He then went on to open the door for her. Already blushing wildly, she whispered a thank you and left. Something she didn't notice, however, was that she dropped the book on the floor.

It was only when she was at the bus stop did she notice that she left it behind. "_I need to get back there. I can't believe I left my textbook behind,_" she thought. As she turned around, though, she bumped into another person. This person, too, dropped a book, as Motoko noticed.

"_That's twice I've done that. What's my problem today?_" she asked herself. She then glanced at the book on the floor. "_That's mine_."

Looking up, she saw the blonde, scraggly haired guy.

"You dropped this, Motoko," he said to her. "Well, I did really. But, it is yours."

Motoko smiled for a second, feeling entirely shy. Yumihiko picked up the book and handed to her. Suddenly, though, Motoko came to a realization.

"How do you know my name?" she asked curiously. She hadn't yet figured anything out about him. The two had never talked. And it was weird that she would know his name. She studied him for a moment. Then, realizing her question, he spoke as if he were coming back to reality.

"Oh, uh, I know you from around town and the cram school, really. You live in the dorm down the street from me. Plus, your name was in your book," he stated plainly pointing to the book. He gently kneeled to pick it up and then handed it back to her. Smiling, though still red, Motoko slowly touched the book. Finding a little comfort, she held onto it and removed it from his possession.

"You, uh, live in Hinata?" she asked him nervously.

"Yeah, and I'm also in your class," he responded. A second later and a bus came up to the stop. As the doors opened, Motoko stepped on still staring at the young man as he walked in with her. Holding onto her book tightly, she sat down in the only open seat. It was the seat closest to the door she entered. Standing next to her, Yumihiko stared in the opposite direction. The bus was very loud that day, being a Friday. Common conversation easily heard were comments on the changing weather and the clothes of the youth.

Several minutes later, the pair arrived about half a mile away from the dorm, not including the long steps and the short trip to the door. Stepping out of the somewhat cooler interior of the bus, Motoko shivered a little as a cool breeze rushed past her. Turning to Yumihiko, who seemed quite cool, Motoko said to herself, "_How about you-"_

"How about I walk you home?"

Motoko, her thoughts then interrupted, led the way back to the Hinata dorm.

She was silent the whole way home. Yumihiko seemed to be inching closer and closer to her. While Motoko already figured out that he was cute and that she liked him a little, she didn't know what he could possibly be thinking. "_For all I know, he's got a girlfriend. She has to be beautiful, and smart, and funny. Guys always go for that. That's basically the reason _she _likes Keitaro. Even though he's not really smart, he's getting there. I think that's why she likes him. Maybe she can teach him. Maybe that's what she likes about him,_" Motoko thought in a wild flurry of ideas. She then turned to Yumihiko who had kept his distance from Motoko all the way up the stairs. "_Maybe he's like that._"

"This place is much bigger up close, I guess," she noticed Yumihiko say. It was more of a phrase that broke the silence. In truth, Yumihiko had passed by the place several times. Everyday, actually, he would pass by the place on the way to school. Sometimes he would be right behind Motoko. She was usually alone when she left, but it seems her two roommates always came home with her. It was amazing that she never noticed him.

"_I guess I'd better just go ahead and go_," he thought to himself. He didn't quite understand what she was thinking. She stared off into the distance saying nothing. She, in fact, seemed to be looking past him, as if he was not there. "Anyway, I guess I'll get going," he said to her.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Maybe we can, uh, study together. Sometime soon," her sentence was really choppy as she tried to get the words out. Attempting to seem serene, she tried smiling, but the feeling was a little awkward and forced. "_Maybe he doesn't notice._"

"I guess maybe we can. I wouldn't mind really. Your grades are better than mine, I guess," he, too, tried to seem composed and smiled along with her. She looked back at him and nodded as acceptance before turning up toward the dorm.

- -

Kitsune stayed inside that day. It was getting considerably warmer, and she hated going out when it was just too early to be even slightly acclimated to the heat. Instead of going about the house and doing normal, everyday activities, Kitsune did chores. That day, Shinobu had to take her finals. And since Kitsune was the only capable one there that day, seeing as how Naru and Keitaro went off to class in the city, she decided that it would be best to do the chores.

"_See, I'm not entirely lazy,_" she thought to herself as she scrubbed the last portion of the floor. It was obviously Keitaro's job to do this work, but today was different. Kitsune had absolutely nothing to do. Getting drunk this early wasn't on her "to-do" list, either. She had spent the better part of her morning, though, doing absolutely nothing.

Kitsune slowly cleaned off the table in Naru's room. Though tired, she was hoping to find some kind of indication of a little something between Naru and Keitaro. However, no sign of a diary could be found on any of Naru's tables. Though she would have rummaged through a bookshelf or two, Kitsune felt a little bored with Naru's room. Kitsune had been in here so many times that it was just entirely useless to be in there.

Instead, she slipped down into the hole in Naru's floor. Naru seemed to think that no one knew that it was still there. However, by this time, everyone knew that Naru had left the gaping hole in her room. Everyone also knew that the pair used it often.

Falling into the room, Kitsune felt slightly out of place. It was obviously larger than all the other tenants' rooms, but perhaps the hole in the ceiling made the room seem a little larger.

Just like before with Naru's room, Kitsune began cleaning up Keitaro's room. The two tables in there were cluttered with English and Math books. Archaeology articles and magazines littered the floor. Sliding away books and papers, stacking them in piles, and putting them to shelves was making Kitsune even more exhausted. However, after some time, she found a little green book. Recognizing it, she opened it and, sure enough, found all the sticker photos that Keitaro had collected over the years.

"_Naru looks so cute with Keitaro next to her,_" Kitsune thought to herself. However, her thought was more solemn than appreciative. She sadly looked down at both pictures of her best friend and her secret crush. She stared at the beautiful girl with her beautiful arm around a beautiful man. Kitsune felt a deep, empty well within her. Within seconds, her exhaustion was eaten away by sadness.

"_I've never been as beautiful as her,_" she thought to herself. She ran her hand over the picture, thinking of her best friend's beauty. It had been a while since Kitsune had ever thought that. In her youth, she fell in love with Naru; it was the reason they became friends in the first place. But the years together had made Kitsune's complex love turn to simple friendship. Now, it was hard to decide on either Naru or Keitaro. But, of course, "Best friends should never date," she whispered to herself.

Staring at the pair, she felt the incredible loneliness that she had felt every time she was around them. "_Even a stupid picture,_" she thought. It felt like a prison of her emotions built in pictures. She flipped through more pages and found only pictures of Keitaro. Each one made him look even cuter than he was before. Each picture was taken alone. "_That could be me,_" Kitsune thought to herself.

Right before she became lost in her emotions, she heard the footsteps of a single person. Quickly shoving things in their proper place, Kitsune rushed around hoping not to be caught. But within seconds, the door slid open. As she turned, she noticed a familiar person and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What're you doing here? Cleaning?" Motoko asked her.

"Oh, uh, yes, actually. I was bored and Shinobu's been studying like crazy for finals. So I thought I'd do some chores. I also did some cleaning since Naru and Kei said they'd be home late," Kitsune responded with a little nervousness. "What brings you over here?"

"Me? I was just wandering around," Motoko responded. Turning away, Motoko looked out the window, elbows leaning on the banister. Kitsune did likewise. "I heard a lot of shuffling going on before I got in there. What were you doing in there?"

Kitsune felt incredibly embarrassed by what she was doing, especially since someone caught her. Staring down to the ground, Kitsune's voice dropped to a softer tone. "I was looking at Kei's photo sticker album," she stated.

"Oh," was Motoko's only response.

Turning toward Motoko, "So, what happened to you?" she asked her childishly. Kitusne's curiosity was increasing as she saw the red cheeks of Motoko burn brightly.

"I met a guy, today," Motoko said. "And it has nothing to do with you, Kitsune," Motoko responded nervously. It wasn't that she was afraid of what suggestive comments Kitsune might give, but the rumors were going to be a problem.

"I don't believe that. I think sisters should talk," Kitsune pushed onward. She really didn't care if she told her or not, but watching Motoko become flustered was a relaxing scene for her. She walked Motoko inside hoping for more information.

"I really don't want to say, though," Motoko said. Kitsune, finally, and quickly, bored decided to walk off. She saw how Motoko wasn't really paying much attention to her, anyway. She also saw that Motoko was left to her own thoughts. She started for the kitchen when heard a sigh behind her. "His name is Yumihiko."

"Do you like him?" Kitsune asked with a little delight in the beginning openness of Motoko's response.

"Kind of," Motoko responded. She really didn't know why she would even consider that kind of answer. Yumihiko was perfect in every way except Kendo.

"Well, I'm sure that your feelings for Keitaro shouldn't be getting in the way if you want to say 'yes' to the question, someday," Kitsune said matter-of-factly.

Motoko's facial expression didn't change. She looked at Kitsune, "You assume too much, Kitsune." Motoko stood up and followed Kitsune to the kitchen.

"I didn't mean it like that. It just sounds like you're unsure of things, you know?" she said. Kitsune opened up the refrigerator and got a soda for herself. Looking at Motoko for a second, Motoko nodded to her and Kitsune reached in for a second.

Catching her drink after Kitsune tossed it to her, Motoko began again, "Don't you like him?" she asked plainly.

"I really can't say I don't. Either way, it's not like it matters," she said as she walked away. She rushed to the stairs leaving Motoko still in the kitchen. Motoko didn't understand the answer. But, judging from Kitsune's facial expression, she didn't want her answer looked into.

Motoko moved on with her drink to her room, ready to take a bath. She walked up, found some clothes, and went back downstairs to the bath.

- - -

_I haven't worked on this story in a long time. So, I spent some time scrutinizing over the details. I actually planned this story out, too! Anyway, I'm gonna spend this moment to talk about the backstory to this fic. First, I should say that it a sequel to a previous work of mine, "Tuesday Morning." Well, actually, not a sequel, but it draws on several details I implemented there. So, please, read that for a bit more of information, especially about Kitsune._

_The rewrite, by the way, does take place about a year after the series ends in the manga. And by series, I mean before the epilogue parts, before Kei and Naru get married. When they go to Tokyo U, in fact. Just so you know where we are in the time line and stuff._

_Like I said, I'll talk about the issues I bring up. But, chapter 1 is an expository chapter, so nothing really epic happens. Just the establishment of characters and stuff P_

_Don't worry, the good stuff comes sooon!_

_SS_


	2. I:02: Boyfriends

Pink Camellias  
02 – Boyfriends  
SethSolare

- - -

Naru walked next to Keitaro, clinging to his arm, and up the steps to Hinata House. It had been months since they started seriously dating. Keitaro had been diligently working on school since he turned down that research position. As wonderful as a job as that could've been, he knew he wanted to be with Naru more than anything. And everyday, they would walk home together after class.

"Do you ever wonder what it would've been like taking that research position, Kei?" Naru asked after a bit of silence.

"The one from Nyamo? Every once in a while, when class sucks, I tend to wonder if the research would be more fun," Keitaro responded. "Why? You tired of me, already?"

"What? No! Not at all! I just though, you know, I don't want to be the cause of your unhappiness and stuff," she said softly.

"Insecure much? Come on, you know I want to be here." He stopped at the top of the steps and turned Naru toward him. "I'm happy because I'm with you. And that's all I need," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'm not entirely insecure. I just want to make sure that this is what you want," she said. Naru walked on up toward the house. "I love you, Kei." She skipped off ahead into the house. Upon entering, she shook off her shoes and walked upstairs to her room. For the months that they'd been together, she still wanted to keep their rooms separate. She loved having the hole in the floor. Like the Liddo-kun on top of it, it was like a relic of their relationship.

"_Geez, I sounded like a really needy girlfriend back there,_" she thought to herself. She turned toward the mirror, staring at herself in the eyes. "_He's happy here, and I know that._" She gathered up a few clothes for her bath along with a towel.

"_I wonder if we could take a bath together_." Her face was calm for a second before she started to shake her head about with a disgusted look on her face. "_AH! No _way _would that happen. He'd probably nosebleed all over the place if I asked him. And even though we're dating, he's still a pervert. And no way would we ever do _that _in a public bath!_" She giggled to herself at the thought. As far as their relationship went, she kept to kissing. "_Sure, making out is great. But, I don't think we're all that ready for sex, considering what happened last time_."

After securing her relationship with him with their admittance to Grandma Hina, Naru didn't want to rush things. Of course, they had been friends for years, now, "_But relationships take time. Besides, I'm totally worth it, I'd say. He can _afford _to wait!_" She giggled again to herself before walking on down to the baths.

When she got there, she noticed Motoko's clothes already laying out in the adjacent room. She realized that they haven't talked in days. And Naru had been so busy at Tokyo U that she hadn't had chance to talk to her. "_Guess it would be time to catch up._"

She walked into through the steam and breathed in heavily. "Someone there?" she heard Motoko ask.

"It's Naru. How're you doing, Motoko?" she asked with a cheery voice. She moved on over to Motoko and sat down.

"I'm good. I heard Haruka will be coming back, soon. Kitsune really seems to want to take a break," Motoko said, happily.

"Hey, I've noticed you two have been hanging out a lot. You're not going to go all crazy on me, are you?" Naru asked with a smile.

"She's not entirely influential like that. Besides, I don't think anyone could ever drink like she does," Motoko smiled back at Naru.

Motoko's mind drifted a bit toward the boy from earlier on in the afternoon. Yumihiko was just so pretty. He had such a nice build. Not too muscular, but not scrawny at all, unlike Keitaro. Though, she had to admit. Keitaro had gotten a bit more muscular since he started archaeology.

"_I guess artifacts can be heavy_," she thought to herself.

And ever since Keitaro and Naru started dating, Naru seemed to just be much happier. She had this glow about her that made her seem so much more beautiful than ever. And Motoko wished, more than anything, that she had that glow. "_More guys are attracted to her now than when she was single. What is it about taken girls that are so appealing, anyway?_" Motoko thought to herself.

"What's up, Motoko? You seem pretty deep in thought there," Naru said, noticing Motoko's facial expression.

"Huh? Oh, well, I met a guy today," she admitted with a blush.

"Oh, really? Was he really cute?" Naru teased.

"Um, yeah. H-he was. I mean, he _is _cute. He's really not a bad person to look at for a while." At this point, Motoko's face had turned a nice, deep red. "And he has such a nice smile. His eyes are so, um, kind? And his hands look soft, too."

Naru began to chuckle a bit, "Oh?" The more she attempted to suppress the laugh, the harder it got to do it. And suddenly, she just burst out laughing.

"Naru! Don't laugh at me!" Motoko said, angrily.

"I'm sorry. It' s just that I've never, ever, ever seen you act like this. You're just so darn cute!" Naru's enthusiasm peaked at a squeal of her voice, as if she was still a junior high student.

"Well, so what if I'm acting like a girl? I mean, I haven't had a chance to ever really have a boyfriend, unlike you Naru."

"Hey, wait, what?" Naru's laughter quickly changed to a very quizzical expression. Furrowing her eyebrows, she continued, "What do you mean, 'haven't had a chance'? There've been tons of guys that wanted to go out with you, Motoko. In fact, I bet even Keitaro had a crush on you at some point," Naru stifled a laugh there. Realizing what she just said, she decided to add more, "But, you know, who hasn't he had a crush on?"

"But he's in love with you. And it wouldn't be right of me to act in such a manner toward a man who doesn't love me." Motoko's face saddened a bit. She remembered how she confessed her feelings for him back on the beach when she cut her hair. More importantly, she kissed him when she failed her exam. She was happy for that moment, but it was only a moment in her life.

"Oh, well, um, I guess. I guess it would be a bit awkward, yeah," Naru's voice and cheer dwindled a bit. She didn't really want the conversation to continue, seeing as how this was about _her _boyfriend, not Motoko's.

"_I'm not _that _jealous, am I? I mean, Keitaro loves me. And I know he doesn't even have the guts to cheat, let alone think about another woman. I'm his promise girl, and that's certain._" Naru decided that she wouldn't dwell on his unlikely infidelity. Motoko was more important at that moment, and it was her job to cheer her up. "I know, how about I help you get with this guy you met. Let's start with the basics. How about his name?"

"Yumihiko." Motoko said, dryly.

"Um, okay, and he's cute. Does he seem interested in you?"

Motoko looked over at Naru quizzically, "How am I supposed to know? Ask him? That's just too embarrassing!"

"I mean, does he give away hints? You know like, is he always looking at you? Does he say cute things to you? Does he, like, open door and stuff?"

"I only met him today," Motoko responded. Then, thinking back quickly, "Well, he does go to my school. I do know that. I'm pretty sure he's in my class, too."

"Well, then you've got something. You should try and talk to him," Naru suggested. "_This is going well. Maybe she might get with this guy,_" she thought to herself. She hoped, though wouldn't actually admit it to herself, that Motoko would try and get past Keitaro.

"He works at a tea shop I went to today. That's where I met him," Motoko's voice became a little brighter. Part of her hoped that she would be able to do this. She told herself that this has nothing to do with being a warrior. "_This is about my womanhood._"

"Well, talk to him, there. It's totally romantic when you guys go back to the same spot everyday. And you say, 'Hi,' everyday. And you just go back and forth and, suddenly, he can't take it anymore and magically asks you out!" Naru had this dreamy look in her eyes for a second.

"Eh? I-I don't know about that," Motoko stuttered.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm just being a bit of a space cadet," Naru responded. She said her words with a smile and began to soak a bit longer in silence.

"_You're just helping me because you don't want me near Keitaro,_" Motoko thought. "_Oh wait, no! That's mean! I shouldn't say that. I should be happy for them. Keitaro is a better man because of her, and she a better woman. Forgive me, Naru._" Motoko rose from her bath and began walking back inside, She smiled at Naru, who was now facing her, "Thank you! I'll try to use your advice, for sure, Naru."

"No problem. That's what I'm here for." Naru turned her body away from Motoko and rested her head on her arms on the rocks.

"Myuh!" Tama cried out as she landed in front of Naru. She waved at Motoko, who watched the turtle with devilish eyes, waving back.

As Motoko left the bath, Naru picked up Tama, "Keitaro's not the kind of guy who would cheat, is he?" Tama let out a puzzled squeak before Naru let her go.

- -

Shinobu picked up her clothes around her room. As much of a clean person as she was, her room was a mess. She had been studying for days on end for her upcoming final. And, today, was her last day of school before summer vacation. She made plans that morning to meet up with Su and Motoko for a nice afternoon party. Though Motoko had already graduated ahead of them, Su wouldn't dare have a party without her wonderful friend there. However, Motoko disappeared and Su and Shinobu went off to do their own thing.

Stuffing the last of her clothes into a corner, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Done!" she exclaimed. She stood in the middle of her, now, clean room and stared at the bare table in the middle of her room. "_I still don't feel accomplished_," Shinobu thought, frowning at her empty room.

Suddenly thinking of a good idea, she went over to her desk and pulled out her diary and began writing. She drew a few pictures of her ceremony in her child-like style that she had always used since she was 13. Part of the way through her entry, she stopped in the middle of her writing and went over to her bookshelf. "_Did I get this idea from Naru or something?_" She grinned to herself, noticing that all of her diaries were sorted by year.

Now that she was 17, her shelf was filled with a good 12 volumes of life, tracing back all the way to when she was 10 years old. She pulled out the diary of her 10 year old self, reading only the first few pages. The rest of it was blank.

"_I guess I was shy with myself back then._" She giggled and pulled out some of the new diaries. As she got older, one simple book wasn't enough to hold a year's worth of writing and drawing. Shinobu took a seat on the floor as she continued to flip through the pages for a few minutes.

From behind, though, a blonde haired figure peeked in through a small opening in Shinobu's doorway. Su carefully slid the door open and sneaked up behind Shinobu. Carefully, she read along with her and smiled to herself while keeping her head above Shinobu. After a bit more reading, Shinobu closed her diary and tried to stand up. But, instead, she bumped her head on Su's chin.

"Su! W-W-What're you doing here?" Shinobu asked, startled.

Su, laughing, "I was reading about your little crush on Keitaro!"

"Don't say that so loud!" Shinobu yelled, covering up Su's mouth.

"Does it matter now? That's, like, 2 years ago. And you've got your own man, now," Su teased. And it was true. Shinobu finally had a boyfriend, after all this time. Granted, her feelings for Keitaro weren't completely gone, but she did want to move on. She had only been dating her current boyfriend for about 2 months.

"Eh? I-I guess not," Shinobu answered.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll take Keitaro!" Su said enthusiastically.

Shinobu grinned for a second, "But, first, you'll have to beat Naru in mortal combat!" She laughed at herself for such a stupid joke. "_Well, at least Naru gets to keep him,_" Shinobu tried to convince herself.

"Oh well, maybe I'll go after Keisuke, then."

"W-What? NO! You can't have him! He's mine," Shinobu spat back, arms folded.

Su only laughed. And Shinobu giggled along with her. But Su didn't stay that way for much longer. She slowly stopped laughing and sat on the floor with a serious expression. Shinobu, puzzled by her change of mood, sat down as well. "Something bothering you, Su?"

"Well, Motoko just kind of left us, today. We made plans and stuff. Do you think something happened to her? Do you think Motoko is sick?" Su asked, a look of a bit of sadness on her face.

"Motoko doesn't get sick, ever. But something definitely happened to her, today. Or maybe she's just getting all girly on us." The two of them remembered just how moody Motoko got during her time of the month.

"Heh. Maybe it's that. I don't know. She just seemed way too moody than normal, don't you. I mean, normal as in Motoko-normal," Su went on.

"I have no idea what's going on," Shinobu said.

Then came a retort from the hallway, "Or maybe, instead of meeting up with you guys, she got held up somewhere else because she met a cute guy," Kitsune said.

The two younger girls on the floor shot a look over to the doorway. After a few seconds of registering Kitsune's face, the two of them burst out laughing.

"No way! Motoko would never fall for just any guy. She still beats the crap out of Keitaro, and she _really _likes him!" Shinobu joked.

"I bet if she ever told a guy she liked him, she'd swing her sword wildly and send him flying into outer space," Su joined her.

Kitsune let out a small frown before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. That's just what she told me," she said before walking in the direction of her room. Suddenly, the two girls stopped laughing and ran out of the room. They ran in front of Kitsune as fast as they could before stopping her.

"No way!" they yelled in unison.

"It's not like Motoko's incapable of loving someone, you know. I've been single for years, and just because I'm like that doesn't mean that _I _can't get a boyfriend. In fact, I bet I could get one tomorrow if I really wanted to. But I don't." Kitsune said in a stern voice. "And if Motoko's found someone she likes, then fine! Not like I care." She walked on past the two girls.

Su and Shinobu looked at each other, confused. "What'd she get so mad about?" Shinobu asked. Su only shrugged a response before going back to Shinobu's room.

"Let's start studying for _your _Tokyo U entrance exams, Shinobu. Your test is coming up really soon, and you've got a whole year to get ready. Though, maybe Motoko will come down. She's really much better at this than I am. And our grades are gonna be posted really really soon!"

"Yeah, I can't wait. I hope you guys pass," Shinobu said, excitedly. "Do you think her sister will get mad if she doesn't get in this year?" Shinobu asked.

"Definitely! We'll get to see a cool fight, too, if it happens," Su said, excited.

"I will not fail my test." Motoko entered Shinobu's room and sat down at her place at the table. "Shinobu, preparing a year in advance. Very wise. I hope you do better than I did," Motoko smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty much ready to take the test." Shinobu said.

"And I'm sorry I did not meet you after you school let out. I had to pass by our cram school. I, uh, left something there yesterday," Motoko said, setting her books up on the table in an orderly fashion.

"It wouldn't happen to be one of your trashy romance notebooks, eh, Motoko?" Su laughed.

"N-no! I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about," she said opening up a few books. But when she opened her notebook, she quickly closed it. Her eyes darted back and forth at the two girls, who then stared up at the ceiling mockingly. "This is just an old high school notebook. It's nothing at all," Motoko said, clearing her throat.

"I bet it is," Shinobu said opening up her own books.

Quickly trying to change the subject, Motoko looked over at Su, "By the way, Su, when is your graduation ceremony? Since, you know, you are no longer a high school student." Motoko smiled.

"It's a week from today. So, I hope you don't forget a notebook at cram school and not come to it," Su teased.

"Eh? I-I won't forget. And I don't write trashy romance crap!" Motoko yelled at the two of them. It occurred to Motoko that she had to bring something up to the other two girls. "By the way, do you know why Kitsune was angry?" And the other two shrugged.

- -

Kitsune sat in her room, beer in hand, flipping through the newspaper. Even though the news was already 24 hours old, she felt she had nothing better to do. She had her little radio on, listening to some of her favorite songs.

Instead of reading, though, she stared at the paper. The music became background noise. "_I'm a loser. No one wants to be with a loser. I run that stupid tea shop and I can't get a guy in there._" She refolded the paper and shut off the radio before plopping down on her bed.

"_Haruka better get back soon. It's amazing that she managed to keep herself sane there_." Kitsune drank down the last of her can. She stared out of her open door before walking outside. She slowly leaned over the edge of the railing, humming to herself.

"Sounds like a good song," Keitaro said, who was standing in front of his own doorway.

"Oh, hey, Kei. How're you doing this evening?" Kitsune asked with a bright voice.

"I'm alright. Though, I heard you banging and crashing your way to your room a while ago. You okay?" he asked.

"Do you think I'm a loser?" she asked, bluntly.

Keitaro stood still, dumbstruck by the question. Sure, Kitsune didn't do a whole lot besides write freelance stuff and run the old teahouse, but it definitely wasn't loser material. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded.

"All I do is run the tea house and sit around at home. How in the world is that attractive?" she asked. Keitaro said nothing.

"You know, rarely do I ever say to myself, 'I wish I had someone.' I'm not a needy girl. I just want to be in love, you know? Kind of like what you and Naru have." She dipped her head down. "I wish I had someone that loved me."

"You will find him someday, Kitsune," Keitaro said, putting a hand on her back.

"Remember how I told you a while back that I was in love with Naru at some point?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Keitaro blushed a bit.

"Don't be a prude," she said with a bit of agitation. She stared at him intently before continuing, "Anyway, what if I liked, you know, a girl, and she wasn't all that into it and stuff? And she's an amazing person, too. I mean, would I just have to let her go?"

"I hardly know. It's not a situation I'm really familiar with," Keitaro answered nervously.

Kitsune laughed a bit, "Of course, you don't."

"Don't you know any guys that are interesting?"

"Does it matter? If you love someone, what difference does it make? Does it matter, really? If you find someone that you're happy with, is it so wrong to want to be with them? I mean, you know, if you love someone, is it not okay?"

"I think you're saying the same thing over and over," Keitaro joked.

"I'm nervous!" Kitsune yelled back. "Anyway, like, if you just love someone, is that not enough? Or does the person you love have to fit a profile for you to actually love them? Why can't it just be out of spontaneity, even if you didn't want it to happen? Like with you and Naru."

"What do you mean?" Keitaro asked, puzzled.

"It's no secret that Naru didn't like you when you first got here. And as much as she tried to hate you, in the end, she fell madly in love with you." Kitsune went on with a soft voice. "And, in the end, she became more in love with you than you did for her."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess it doesn't make a big difference." The pair stood silent a bit longer before Keitaro spoke again, "I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying that you be sure of you're feelings. I certainly don't judge you because you're a bi, Kitsune. Naru doesn't. I'm sure the other girls-"

"The others don't know. Only you, Naru, and Haruka," Kitsune interrupted.

"Oh. Well, they love you anyway, Kitsune. We're all together here, and no one here would ever hate you for who you are. Unless, of course, you were a serial killer," Keitaro laughed, uncomfortable as he was. It wasn't often he got to talk about love with anyone. He felt weird talking to Naru about it, let alone a girl that still might like him.

"Don't be so nervous Keitaro. I'm not going to do anything while you're still with my best friend." And Kitsune turned back into her room. "Thanks for talking to me. You're always so nice," she said before closing her door.

Keitaro waved at her through the closed door.

And as he did, Naru peaked out of Keitaro's room. "So who do you think she likes?" Naru asked him in a low voice.

"I don't know. I wouldn't know where to begin with Kitsune," he smiled at Naru.

"Well, let's stop supposing about her love life. It's rude and a bit insensitive, considering that she's sad about it," Naru said, before turning back into his room. "By the way, my room or yours, tonight?"

"Yours, I guess," Keitaro responded, as he saw Naru already pushing the table in his room underneath the opening in the floor. "Or you can just pick."

Naru smiled back at him before climbing up into her own room.

- - -

_Some avid fans, myself included, will notice that I included Shinobu's current age. Most of the big fans of the manga will be able to tell the ages of the other girls from this. Su is 18, Motoko is 20, Naru is 22, and Keitaro is 24_. _For the wikipedia people, it does indeed say that Motoko ends the series four years older than Shinobu. But the manga kids know that vol. 1 states all the girls' ages. I forgot how I guessed that the wikipedia thing was wrong, but I think I got help from knowing Su's age. _

_Anyway, I went ahead and assumed that Naru's 18th birthday was sometime between the Tokyo U exam and the beginning of the series, possibly sometime around February, just because I like the idea P. I assumed Su's was sometime around then, too. I went ahead and said sometime around early March. That way, in this fic, Su is 18 before she graduates. By the way, trivia, Shinobu's birthday is November 15th. Anyway, I had to make a bunch of assumptions because data's just not there, and I like to adhere to specific rules. Gives me structure and stuff._

_As for discussing the issues of this particular chapter, I'm not going to, in this session. Gives too much away. I will explain them in more detail as the issues, not the plot, become more obvious. _

_SS_


	3. I:03: Teahouse

_As cable TV says, "Contains strong language not suitable for children." Of course, are any of you that are under 13 _really _going to listen to me? Probably not. And yes, I did feel it was necessary. And, I'll have you know, I've written many things without the above disclaimer. So, I wouldn't use it if I could avoid it. Besides, it's only one word…_

- - -

Pink Camellias  
03 – Teahouse  
SethSolare

- - -

Naru usually woke up first. She wanted, since she and Keitaro had started dating, that he would wake her up with a kiss. Instead, she woke him up by moving a lot. It didn't but her very often, but Naru starved for something romantic. He was thoughtful, sometimes, but it wasn't exactly an everyday thing. The days were pretty normal and, aside from kissing and sleeping together, not much else had changed since their early days.

This morning, though, she noticed that an arm was cradled around her. Usually, Keitaro wrapped her with his arm from behind when they slept. This particular morning, he wasn't even in the bed. She sat up quickly and darted her eyes around the room looking for Keitaro. When she turned toward her table, there he was, sitting, watching. He smiled at her morning face, which could be considered terrible, at best, before she plopped back down and covered her face with a blanket.

"I'm ugly in the mornings! Stop looking at me, you creepy creepy… weirdo!" she yelled, muffled under the blankets.

Keitaro laughed at her look. Usually, it seemed like Naru would wake up so early that she had time to brush her hair, wash her face, brush her teeth, and, occasionally, put on a bit of makeup before waking him up. Keitaro kneeled next to the bed and lifted the covers a bit, revealing Naru, burying her face in the pillows. "I've never seen your morning look. I knew for certain you didn't look that good when you woke up," he laughed.

Then, Naru flipped her head toward Keitaro to face him, an angry look on her face. From her awkward position, her fist leaped out from under the blankets and hammered him in the face. "I'm beautiful! This is _natural_! I wake up an angel, I just had a bad morning!" Her fist left a nice impression on his face before he slumped down from his kneeled positiong.

"Oh yeah, you look stunning," Keitaro said, weakly.

"Stunning ugly? Is that what you mean? Is it?" Naru asked, muffled once again by pillows and blankets.

"No, you look great."

"Very funny. Now get out of my room so you won't have to lie to me the next time you say that," Naru said, pointing in the direction of her Liddo-kun on the floor.

"Fine, fine," Keitaro responded. "I'm already ready to go, I'll be making breakfast with Shinobu or something." And Keitaro dropped down into his room. From below, he heard the shuffling of Naru in her room, getting ready for the day. Content with hearing the start of her morning routine, he walked out of his room and down to the kitchen.

From outside of it, he already heard the sound of Shinobu making breakfast. The sound of her fuzzy little slippers sliding on the floor made a perfect image in his head. "_I wonder if Naru would ever do this,_" he thought. He laughed after a bit, knowing how strange that would be if Naru became more domestic. She was her own woman and would probably leave Keitaro to do all the housework. "_I'm probably better at cooking than she is anyway_."

Keitaro opened the door to the kitchen, greeted by the smell of Shinobu's breakfast. "Good morning, Keitaro," Shinobu greeted, passing by him with a chopping board of ingredients. She had grown out of calling him "_sempai_" after a while. She felt a bit more grown up because of it, too. "Did you sleep well? And where's Naru? She's usually down here before you are."

"I actually woke up first," Keitaro answered. He walks over to the freezer and pulled out a pre-made bag of ice. They were small enough to be used on any area that Naru decided to attack.

"Guess she doesn't want you looking at her morning face, which, by the way, is really funny to look at," Shinobu giggled. Keitaro let out a nervous laugh and applied the ice to his cheek. "Oh, by the way, you guys might have to fend for yourselves for dinner tonight. Since finals came up, Keisuke promised that the first day off afterwards, he was going to do something nice."

"Wow. That's pretty neat. Did he tell you what?" Keitaro asked, a bit suspicious of the guy. In fact, Keitaro didn't like him one bit. "_I'm not jealous. I just don't think any guy is worthy of Shinobu._"

"You don't have to act like you like him, you know. I already know you don't; Naru told me." Shinobu went on while starting to plate the food for the morning. "But, if I invite him over, one night, I expect that you do," she said, shooting a glare at Keitaro.

"Eh? Uh, yeah. I don't hate him, anyway. I don't know where Naru got that idea."

"I think she got it from you when you said, 'I really don't like Shinobu's boyfriend,'" Shinobu said tuning her attention to her current task.

"Heh, I guess you caught me. Fine, I'll try to be nice _if _he comes over," Keitaro agreed.

"Good!" Shinobu exclaimed, finishing the last bit of her work. "I'll tell him he can come over tomorrow, then."

Keitaro twitched a bit when he heard that, realizing that he had just fallen for Shinobu's little innocent act. Over the years, she'd learned that he still thought of her as a little girl. And, if he wasn't going to treat her like a growing adult, she decided that it would be better if she used his attitude to get what she wanted. "_She's getting really good at that,_" Keitaro thought, laughing nervously.

But Shinobu, though she had to trick him to do it, was happy. She hummed a little song while bringing the food out into the dining room where Motoko was already sitting with Su and Sarah.

- -

After breakfast, Kitsune quickly left the dorm for the teahouse. The other girls hadn't noticed she had even left the building until Su saw Kitsune leaving for the teahouse from the window of the kitchen. "She's been acting weird lately," Su pointed out. "Do you think she's sick?"

"My cooking isn't that bad, is it Su?" Shinobu asked. She actually felt pretty serious about the question. She suddenly felt worried that maybe Kitsune had become allergic to the food that Shinobu started buying. "I started going to a new marketplace about a week ago," she offered.

"I doubt that. She's been acting strange since before that. This has been going on for nearly a month and a half, now," Motoko said. "Naru, do you know what the problem might be?"  
"No, not really," she lied. Since last night, overhearing the conversation between Kitsune and Keitaro, it became very clear what Kitsune's problem was. "_Not that being in love is a problem._"

"Well, someone ought to check on her. She doesn't seem okay with anything at all. She didn't even finish eating," Shinobu said, realizing that Kitsune barely ate a thing. The other girls and Keitaro stood up and moved the dishes back into the kitchen. After putting them all in the sink, they dispersed to their own activities except for Motoko and Shinobu, who stayed to clean the dishes.

"Do you think she's, like, medically depressed?" Motoko offered. "I know doctors ask if there was any weight loss or signs of fatigue when suggesting depression."

"It could be. But, then again, what could she be depressed about?"

Motoko stood silent for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders and walking off. "I'll ask her about it." And Motoko left the dorm, sword in hand.

She walked down the steps toward the Hinata teahouse in her casual, weekend clothes. She didn't consider herself a very fashionable person, yet she loved the new trend of skirts. With her tank top, she wore a red bohemian skirt. "_When did I ever like clothes this much?_" she pondered as she walked. She felt even stranger when she stared at the sword she was carrying.

Her collection of weaponry had grown since her return from home. This particular sword, however, had no hand guard, and was enclosed in a light brown, wood sheath. The hilt itself had a beautiful, iridescent flower set into it, made from mother of pearl. Tied around the hilt were two, small red cat bells, held in place by a purple ribbon.

"_Feels like it's been forever since I've held a sword_," she smiled at the object in her hand. The bells rang with her movements. After a few steps, she started purposely planting her feet harder into the ground to make the bells ring louder. "_This is my favorite one, too_." Looking where she was going again, she descended to the teahouse, smiling.

When she made it down, she turned toward the entrance of the teahouse. Then, she heard someone call her name from behind her. "Miss Aoyama? Motoko?" she heard a familiar voice call. She turned behind her to find the boy from the day before.

"Y-Yumihiko, hello," she said, bowing to him. He stopped before her waving a bit.

"You only know my first name. I forgot. Then I shall properly introduce myself before going further," he bowed in return. "My full name is Yumihiko Ishihara."

"Ishihara. It is nice to meet you again. I'm glad I got to see you, um, again," she said feeling her cheeks start to heat up.

"You know, Aoyama-"

"Motoko is fine," she interrupted.

"Oh, well, Motoko, seeing as how we have a whole day to ourselves, would you like to perhaps go and have a bit of day to ourselves?" he asked, smiling at his own cleverness.

"Uh, well, I'm kind of in the middle of something. B-But, I don't think, you know. It wouldn't be a bad idea at all. No, it's not. I could meet up with you later," Motoko suggested. Her thoughts started meshing together rather quickly. Her ability to think straight began to dwindle. And she even felt herself weaken in the legs. "_He's just a guy. He's just a guy that's currently asking me out on a date._"

"Well, good. I'm sure you remember where we met, right?" he asked. "I'll be in front of the tea shop, five o'clock. Okay?"

"Yes. Yes, that's," she felt a lump in her throat form. Swallowing and taking a deep breath, "Yes. I will be there Ishih-"

"Yumi is fine." He smiled, bowed, and walked away.

"_He's got this, I don't know, confidence. It's a kind of overpowering politeness and… confidence. Is that what I like? Confidence?_" She was puzzled at her own tastes in men. There was, indeed, Keitaro who was never the stunning example of self-assurance. And now, Yumihiko, who was the exact opposite.

She turned toward the teahouse. But, from within, she heard loud crashing of a few dishes. She rushed inside to find not a single soul in the main area. Then, she heard a shuffle from the kitchen area. Turning her attention and senses to the area, she walked slowly over to the door, which was half open.

"Shit!" a voice screamed angrily, and a cup went flying at Motoko. Instinctively, she reached for her sword and clicked it out of the hilt with one hand. Using her free hand, she drew the weapon and, without a thought, the cup was cleaved in two. The blade, however, was so sharp that one of the pieces did not deviate from its course and hit Motoko right in the head with a nice thud.

"Ow!" she cried out. The piece, along with her sword, hit the ground with a nice knocking sound on the wood floor. Motoko dropped down to the floor and crawled on over to the doorway of the kitchen. But, as she did, Kitsune, too, crawled out from the floor-length drapery that covered doorway. Again, Motoko heard a nice knocking sound on her skull.

"Ack! Motoko!" Kitsune said, shifting her weight back and to her right. She was now sitting on her knees and leaning on the door frame. "Oh, M-Motoko. What're you doing in here?"

"I heard someone yell in here. Was that you?" Motoko was now sitting on her knees as well. She took up a better posture and arranged her skirt. She then realized that she left her sword unsheathed. She picked up the sheath and blade and, after joining them together again, set it aside.

"Yeah," she responded, rubbing her forehead. "Sorry."

"It's nothing. I'm not hurt," Motoko said. "But are you alright?"

Kitsune looked up to face Motoko. "It's nothing, I'm fine. Just a bit stressed out," she said. Kitsune rose from her position and picked up one-half of the cup. "You didn't have to cut it you know." Her voice sounded stern, agitated, as if a mother was scolding a child.

"It would've broken if I ducked," Motoko reasoned.

Kitsune stopped before the second half of the cup and turned to a kneeling Motoko. "I've dropped cups many times before. These are very durable. And you had to cut one in half?" Kitsune asked, only becoming more frustrated.

"It would've hit me in the head!"

Kitsune's voice became louder, "Well." And quickly, realizing her anger had gotten the best of her, she calmed down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I guess I'm more stressed out than I thought I was."

Motoko reached behind her and grabbed the other half of the cup at Kitsune's feet. "You're not going to throw this at me again if I give it to you, are you?" Motoko said, offering her the half with a smile.

Kitsune gave her a smug look before taking the half from her. "I'm fine, really."

"You don't look yourself, Kitsune. Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, really," she repeated.

Motoko went about the rest of the teahouse, collecting the last of the cups. Kitsune, who had entered the kitchen, began washing the used dishes. "_I wonder what that boy wanted to talk to her about. I hope that's not the guy from yesterday. I mean, if it is, what then?"_ Kitsune asked herself.

Motoko walked into the kitchen and joined Kitsune in the cleaning process. Kitsune glanced over at her while she worked. Motoko, at that moment, seemed very motherly. Rarely did she ever seem very feminine. But when she did, Motoko looked so beautiful. "_She's just so beautiful. I mean, she's hot, but she's beautiful. And cute, too._" Kitsune blushed at her own thoughts. "_I have to say something,_" she thought.

But when she opened her mouth, Motoko began speaking. "Yumihiko came by here," she said.

"Huh? Who?" Kitsune asked with a bit of disappointment.

"Yumihiko, the guy from yesterday, came by."

"Oh? What did he want?"

Motoko smiled widely and blushed. She felt utterly happy, at this moment. It hadn't hit her when she was outside, but now that she felt comfortable, she couldn't hide her smile at all. "He asked me to go meet him at the teahouse he works at."

"Oh," Kitsune responded in a whisper. She put her sponge down and let Motoko finish the work. Kitsune walked into the serving room. "_She didn't even notice that I stopped. Or she may not even care._" She took a seat at one of the tables, hands in her lap. From there, she stared at the wall across from her.

"Are you absolutely sure you're OK? You want to talk about it even?" Motoko said, startling Kitsune from her blank thoughts.

Collecting herself, Kitsune looked up at her and smiled. "You don't have to keep asking. Really, I'm just fine."

"Well, alright. But, you know, if Naru's not around, you can talk to me," Motoko said, placing a hand on Kitsune's shoulder. She reached up in response and held onto Motoko's hand for a second. "I'll be meeting him this afternoon. Wish me luck!" And Motoko left the teahouse.

Kitsune sat alone, silent, in the empty room. She stared again at the wall in front of her. "_It's not like she knows. I shouldn't be getting all worked up over this. It's my fault, anyway,_" she thought.

After a few minutes of blank staring, she heard two people enter the teahouse and the plop of a few bags on the floor. "It's good to know you kept my place clean, Kitsune."

She turned behind her with a slight smile. "Welcome back, Haruka. Sarah."

- - -

_Another chapter completed. A few words concerning the opening conversation between Naru and Keitaro. When you start dating someone, you pretty much see them after they get all nice looking for the date. It's nice and all, and it makes them look really great. But, as we all know, when we wake up in the morning, we look pretty terrible. And to me, Naru seems the kind of person that wants her boyfriend to think she's absolutely perfect all the time._

_Anyway, I wrote this little note after I started chapter 4. I'm just blazing through this. And I'm enjoying it._

_SS_


	4. I:04: Out of Body Experience

_This is a bit of a short chapter. I say this before I even write it because I know it. It was short enough to be part of chapter 3 or the unwritten 5, but the ideas presented here warrant a chapter by itself. In any case, I hope you enjoy._

_- - -_

Pink Camellias  
04 – Out of Body Experience  
SethSolare

- - -

"Will you actually be making dinner?" Keitaro asked Su. Since Shinobu was going out on her date, someone had to make food. Though Keitaro wanted to make dinner for the girls, Su insisted on doing this. She had been pleading since lunch and had even shown Keitaro the cookbook she was going to use.

"Yes!" Su exclaimed, following him into his room. Naru sat on the floor going through an old photo album. "I even learned stuff that Shinobu taught me!"

"Not everyone can eat that spicy stuff," Keitaro went on.

"Don't be such a wuss; it's not that spicy. And besides, I'm not even using my own ingredients," she said, folding her arms. She stood in the doorway hoping for him to cave in after an hour of persuading.

"You nearly burned my tongue off last time, Su," Naru said, looking up from the book. "It was like eating bananas and fire."

"You should eat more bananas, anyway. They're healthy for you. Both of you," she retorted matter-of-factly.

"Naru could always cook. Her crap may not look good, but at least it tas-OOF," Keitaro's words were immediately halted by a gigantic album being thrown at his head. From the force of the blow he flipped over and fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"I didn't hear you complain last time I cooked for you, you unromantic dork," she yelled at him. Naru looked over at the pile of Keitaro on the floor and nodded as if she had completed a good deed.

"Can you get past your lovey-dovey crap and get back to how you guys are treating me like I'm still a middle school kid?" Su asked impatiently.

"Alright, well, if you promise to not attempt to kill us," Naru breathed in before continuing. "Then you can do it."

Su nodded in thanks to Naru and looked over at Keitaro who had started brushing himself off. "And thanks, Kei. Next time I'll know not to ask you." Su smiled appreciatively at Naru before walking off toward Shinobu's room.

From behind, she heard Naru speaking, "So my food's crap, huh?" And then she heard a loud crashing sound from behind.

"_They should just get married already._" She had always hoped that she would see them get married. Though she perceived herself a very beautiful woman, as did many of the boys at school, she hadn't actually been on a date since the one time Keitaro took her out nearly two years ago.

Su loved to love everyone, though that part of her personality led some guys to think that she might have had a crush on them. But she, kind as she was, always wanted to help out in everyone's love life. "_Shinobu wouldn't even be with Keisuke if I didn't push him to ask her_," she thought to herself. "_Though, Keisuke did like me first_," she smiled to herself.

Su knocked on the door to Shinobu's room. She slid the door open to a half-naked Shinobu, running from the closet to the mirror and back again.

"This isn't your first date with him. You can look a little less perfect, you know," Su offered Shinobu a yellow t-shirt from the floor. On it was a green, anime frog. "And you need an excuse to wear this."

"It looks stupid," Shinobu said, head buried in the closet.

"Here," Su said, picking up some khaki pants from the floor.

"We should go out shopping since we have some free time, Su," Shinobu suggested after taking the clothes from Su. She began dressing herself, checking herself in the mirror.

"Yeah, that's fine." She tried to feign interest. "Can I borrow your cookbook?"

"Sure." Shinobu pointed with her head to the shelf containing the book. "So they're going to let you cook?"

"Naru did. Keitaro only agreed," she giggled her response.

Shinobu straightened out the shirt and pants and looked at herself in the mirror. She turned from side to side checking each aspect of her body. Without looking at Su, she asked, "What do you think?"

"You look okay," Su said plainly. She sighed and started for the door.

"Okay? What do you mean 'Okay'? And where are you going?"

She flipped around with a bored look on her face, "I mean you look like you're going on a casual date." She turned once more for the doorway. "And _I'm _going to the market. We don't have all the ingredients here. So, hopefully, you still won't be here in when I get back. It's almost four o'clock, too."

Shinobu glared at the parting figure, and then realized what she had said. "Four? No!" she screamed, darting to and from her closet once again.

- -

"So tell me," Haruka started, "how're things with the rest of the girls? I mean, my room looks nice. The teahouse looks nice. From the stairs, the dorm looks nice. And Keitaro is with Naru, so we know he's happy." The two sat on the floor of Haruka's old bedroom above the teahouse.

"Well, since you've been gone for a year, Shinobu's got a boyfriend. Motoko doesn't. Su doesn't. Mutsumi doesn't. And I don't," Kitsune answered with a straight face. "I assume that's what you really meant to ask."

Haruka laughed at the answer. "Well, have _you _thought about anyone in particular?"

Kitsune shook her head.

"Are you lying?" she persisted in a lower, slower tone.

"Of course," Kitsune responded. "And I think you know who it is then."

Haruka sighed. For the past few years, she had been corresponding with Kitsune more than the other girls. Phone calls and e-mails from Haruka were mainly directed to the current manager of the teahouse. However, most of these social calls were only about Kitsune, not the other girls. Otherwise, she asked about the health of the shop, paranoid for its safety.

"So does she know?" she asked.

"Well, remember when, like, way back when Keitaro left for America that one time?" Kitsune asked. "Like when I told you I kissed Motoko?"

Haruka nodded.

"It's like she's forgotten all about it." Kitsune's mind began to drift back to that moment. After being turned down by Keitaro, she felt this great need to be with _someone_, anyone at all. And the only person who even felt as lonely as she did was Motoko. And Kitsune, who had never actually kissed another girl, managed to get Motoko to let down her guard. Someone as conservative as Motoko had allowed another girl to kiss her. But, realizing what she was doing, she rejected Kitsune.

It was only a few hours later that Motoko had forgiven Kitsune for manipulating her loneliness to fill her own. In the end, Motoko had her first real kiss. She had an intimate experience with someone. But, Kitsune felt hurt even more. Her being rejected twice in just a few days caused her to feel a bit more withdrawn. And, until recently, she had been able to keep up her appearance of happiness.

Haruka tapped Kitsune on the shoulder, "You're not even listening to me, are you?" she asked. She had been talking for several minutes while Kitsune relived that kiss in her head.

Kitsune apologized. "Go on. I'm listening again."

"Well, as I was _saying_," Haruka gave a roll of her eyes before continuing, "she _did _kiss you. And, for all you know, she did enjoy it. I mean, she wasn't utterly repulsed by you, if that makes you feel better."

It didn't.

"And if you ask me, she'd make you very happy." Haruka smiled. She stood from her position and moved over to the window.

"She has a date, today," Kitsune spoke, quietly.

Haruka looked quizzically over at the other woman, "What do you mean? I thought you said she didn't have a boyfriend." She turned her head to the side, "But does she have a _girl_friend?"

"No!" Kitsune exclaimed. "It was just some guy she met. Just some random guy that's in her cram school and he served her tea."

"What do you mean, 'served her tea'? Does he work here? Don't tell me you hired someone without asking me," Haruka gave a dismayed look on her face.

"No, she went to some other place."

"Well, okay. That's good."

Kitsune looked up with a curious expression. "Good?"  
"Good that you didn't hire anyone." Haruka put on a satisfied look on her face before seeing a demoralized Kitsune. "Wow, you're pretty messed up over this, huh?"

"What gave you that idea?" Kitsune returned, sarcastically.

"You know," Haruka said, feeling uncomfortable, "I don't exactly know what to tell you. I mean, I've never dealt with this before. I mean, you know, a lesbian who loves a straight girl. Or at least bi girl who wants to be with a straight girl." She felt weird even figuring out Kitsune's situation. "I mean, it's not just that she may or may not like you, but it's like another layer."

"I'm not asking for your help, Haruka." Kitsune whispered. She looked exasperated. Tired. And she felt like her heart was already broken before she even started. "It can't really be fixed."

Haruka sat on her bed and looked out the window. She stared at the distant Hinata house and could feel Kitsune's sadness wash over her. "_There's really nothing I can do, this time,_" she thought. "_What a way to greet a friend._"

The two sat in silence in the empty room.

- -

Su walked through the market searching for a good fish. The market was open-air and vendors would set up booths for their wares. Colored awnings and wooden displays for all sorts of things encroached on the loud, people-filled street. She went here with Shinobu and Motoko constantly, though it was mostly Shinobu who did any shopping.

She bounced along down the slim, crowded pathway, carrying with her a backpack with Shinobu's book and her already collected ingredients. The music from her MP3 player, which she built just three days ago, managed to get her completely sidetracked as she had totally forgotten to even look for fish. Content with the day in general, she moved along toward a flower stand. She stopped at the stand and looked at all the beautiful flowers.

"Hey, Su. How're you?" a voice next to her asked. Su turned to her right and removed one of her earphones. She smiled at the person and bowed.

"Good afternoon, Keisuke. Buying flowers for dear old Shinobu?" she teased.

Keisuke brushed back his brown hair, using his hand to cover up his blushing. "_Just like her,_" Su thought.

"We're going out, today," he said.

"I know. I live with her," she gave her straightforward response.

"Didn't think I'd see you here at all."

Su turned away from him and grabbed two roses from the tables. Each one had a small vial of water at its stem. At the top, the bright red petals had water droplets reflecting light into both Su's and Keisuke's eyes. Su paid the vendor and handed them to Keisuke.

"Don't spoil her too much. And don't tell her I paid for these," she smiled a wide smile at him.

"You're so cute, Su," he said, smiling back.

"Aww, thanks! Girls like to hear that kind of stuff," she, too, began to blush a little bit. "Anyway, Shinobu'll probably see you really soon, so I better get on going."

Keisuke looked at her for a second, seemingly gathering his thoughts. Then, he exhaled and said, "Do you think we would've made a great couple?"

Su's smile instantly changed at the question. True, three months ago, Keisuke was head-over-heels in love with Su. But, instead of her, Su passed on Keisuke to Shinobu, who she thought was far more compatible with him. He wasn't anything she'd really go for, and Shinobu was far more deserving girl than she was.

Su, however happy and friendly as she was, suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "I-I don't know," she said, trying to be kind to his ego.

"I think we would have," he responded.

"Well, that's all in the past, right? I mean, Shinobu's definitely the better girl," Su said, trying to evade what could be a huge problem. Her mind searched quickly for a good excuse to leave, but none came.

"She's nice, yeah. She's a great girl," he said. He handed her one of the roses she had given him. "But, you know." He didn't continue.

"Yeah," she whispered, her words almost inaudible in the crowd. "Anyway, the girls are expecting me home at any minute now. And Shinobu is really looking forward to this date. And if you don't get going now, you're going to be late." Her words streamed out of her mouth as fast as she could get them out.

His mouth moved as if he were going to say more but she had already bowed to him. He smiled at her again before bowing and turning away from her. Her previously happy, sunny expression had turned into a worried look.

"_I hope she doesn't invite him over tonight,_" she thought. And she headed back to the Hinata House, picking up a random fish along the way.

- - -

_As I said, really short chapter. Well, short to me. I barely passes as 3 and a half pages in Word. In any case, I feel I need to explain the name of the chapter. Most of the situations in this chapter are pretty abnormal for each of the characters. Shinobu getting ready for a date. Kitsune talking about her desire for a relationship. Su and her deal with her friend's boyfriend. Hence, the name of the chapter._

_Anyway, there's a lot to write. But, chapter 5 will be coming soon._

_SS_


	5. I:05: Comforts and Interruptions

Pink Camellias  
05 – Comforts and Interruptions  
SethSolare

- - -

Yumihiko's workplace, a teahouse in the middle of town, was about a 15 minute walk from the dorm. It sat on its own along the road. The building itself was twice the size of the Hinata teahouse and looked fairly modern. The windows rose to cover the height and length of the front of the structure. Metal beams fashioned into squares held the windows in place. The doors, too, were glass.

Within, the tables were organized as small islands unto themselves. Each table was round and had a nice, cherry wood finish. Eight chairs surrounded the each of the tables and held a similar look of the tables, with the exception of a black cushion on the seat.

Motoko stayed outside of the building sitting on a stone bench outside. Her leg wouldn't stop bouncing up and down and she tried to be conscious of everything she did. She sat up straight. She tucked back her short her behind her ears. She placed her hands in her lap which still would not stop moving.

"_Why am I so nervous? He's just a boy._" She stood up from her seat and began to walk down the gravel pathway to the street. When she made it to the end of the short path, she looked down at where the gravel met the street. "_He's _just_ a boy,_" she reassured herself. She turned around to go back to the bench. But, instead, she felt herself press up against another person. Realizing where she was, she let out a bit of scream.

"Ow," Yumihiko said playfully. "No need to scream. It's just me."

Motoko laughed nervously. Her face reddened and she stepped back a bit. Her head tilted toward the ground and her hands gravitated to behind her body. There was silence for a few minutes and she felt an increasing amount of discomfort well up in her. She quickly turned her head to her left, the direction of the dorm, "So what'd you want to do?"

"I was thinking we could just walk around town and do a bit of relaxation before exam scores get posted," he suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that," Motoko responded, her voice breathy. She shook off as much of her nervousness as she could before following after him.

"So how old are you, Motoko?" he asked.

"Twenty. I'm twenty years old," she said. As she said this, she could hardly believe that she had grown to a twenty year old. "How about you?" she asked. She hoped he would be at least the same age. Maybe older.

"I'm twenty, also. It's a new twenty, but it's my age nonetheless."

"Oh," she said. She continued to walk until she noticed he was no longer beside her. She stopped abruptly before looking up at the sign above the doors. It had only been about 100 meters from the teahouse to where they stood now. "A bookstore?"

"Yeah, I notice you like hanging out here. And I personally love books," he said, pushing the door open for her.

She let out a little bit of a giggle before walking through the open door. The front shelves were filled with study guides for the exam season. Many of the new releases were on display at the front counter. All around, she found acclaimed bestsellers and cardboard ads for new books.

"What kind of stuff do you like to read?" he asked, coming into the store from behind her.

"Oh, you know, classics and stuff. I've read the 'Art of War,'" she said. "_Oh, and I happen to read trashy romance crap. I'm a really sappy kind of girl, really!_" she ridiculed herself. "_Art of War? Who in their right mind admits they read that on a date?_"

"I've read that. My uncle is very much into all that military stuff. Old war movies and things like that are his thing. And he loves making me watch them, too," he laughed.

Motoko moved on over to the new releases section. "What about you?" she asked.

"I admit I like romantic stuff. Kind of weird like that," he said with a bit of a grin. "It's nice to read about happy things from time to time."

"Yeah, I read stuff like that, too," she said, blushing a bit. He looked over at her face, which she was attempting to bury in a book. "You do that a lot?"

"Eh?" she was startled by the remark. She felt a bit of a chill go through her as she looked over at his smiling face.

"You blush a lot." He coolly pushed the book from her face. "Relax. We're just going around on town."

"_He's just a boy_," she told herself again. But, she couldn't help it. She just felt uncomfortable being with him. Of course, he was cute. He had this great look. He was calm. His voice was soothing. He didn't look frail, unlike Keitaro. "_He's like he's perfect._"

She smiled at him, trying to feign contentment. He smiled back, "That's better."

- -

"That was Motoko's sister, Tsuruko. She's coming to visit in four days, Keitaro," Naru whispered in his ear after returning from her phone call. She then walked around the couch and sat back down next to Keitaro in the foyer.

"Tsuruko's coming?" Shinobu asked, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah. Come to think of it, it's been forever since she visited us. And they're posting the Tokyo U exam results on Monday. Maybe she might be coming to congratulate Motoko," Naru offered. She felt the tension in the room as Keisuke and Keitaro tried to size each other up.

"_Hurry up, Su! This is absolutely horrible!_" Shinobu thought to herself. It had been twenty minutes since she had returned home with Keisuke in tow. "_I probably should've stuck to tomorrow. Maybe Kei would be a bit more ready for this._"

Keisuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Does Su cook often?" he asked, knowing the answer to the question.

"Oh, no way, I had to punch this dork over here to get him to agree to even give her a chance. Granted, her cooking before was pretty terrible, but I figure, why not, you know?" Naru rattled off, with an awkward smile. But, again, silence drowned the room. She nudged Keitaro in the side a few times.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Su's cooking is pretty bad." Keitaro's voice was bland.

Naru was about to call out to Su until the front door slid open. Two familiar figures stood on either side of Kitsune.

"Hey, everyone! Miss me?" Sarah said, jumping into the room. But the lack of a response halted her from approaching the scene in front of her.

"Wow, I feel at home already," Haruka whispered to Kitsune. Walking into the room, she stood before the boy next to Shinobu on the couch. "You're new here. Did we open this place up to guys now?" Haruka asked with a calm, soothing voice.

"No," Shinobu responded quickly. "He's my boyfriend, Miss Haruka."

"Ah, so _you're _Keisuke. Kitsune told me about you two," she walked in the direction of kitchen, to which Sarah already left. "Cute," she said, walking down the hall.

Naru turned to Kitsune who leaned against the wall in the hallway that led to the dining room. She mouthed out the word "help" with a worried expression.

"Hey, let's all go to the table," Kitsune said, jumping up from her position. She pulled Shinobu off the couch and Keisuke quickly followed after. Likewise, Naru grabbed onto Keitaro and pulled him up.

"What're you _doing_?" Naru asked in complete disbelief.

"I don't like him. Seems like a terrible guy," Keitaro said smugly.

"Well, I don't know what your problem is. Shinobu likes him and he seems nice and-"

"See? You said it yourself. He seems nice. But really, deep down, he's bad for her. You wait and see," he said haughtily. He stepped past Naru into the hallway, but as he passed her, he felt himself traveling straight up into the air. And he admitted to himself that Naru's uppercuts had gotten much stronger.

- -

After they had uneventfully, silently finished eating, Shinobu started picking up the dishes as she usually did. Her worried look hadn't left her face since she entered the house. And, if she didn't get out of the room, she was convinced she'd stay that way. Su, however, determined to make herself look like a good housekeeper, gathered up the plates with her.

Shinobu looked over at her friend. She then started gathering up the rest of the plates as fast she could and, with a beckon of her head, asked Su into the kitchen.

"You all can go," Su said, obviously disturbed by the atmosphere in the room. Kitsune was the only one that stood and left the room. But, before she did, she took Keisuke with her and winked at the disappearing Shinobu, who retreated to the kitchen.

Following after her, Su looked over at her friend who had her hands in her face. She sat at the little island in the middle of the kitchen in a stool. Su walked what she had over to the sink and turned on the water.

"What was _that _all about?" Su said.

Shinobu grumbled an incoherent reply.

"Right," Su responded disappointedly. She continued washing the dishes for a bit longer before dropping the sponge and shutting off the water. "Or what? What's going on with you?" Su asked, attempting a cheery demeanor. She bounced next to Shinobu and leaned on the counter.

"Kei is making this whole thing crappy. He thinks Keisuke is a horrible person for me. Like, he thinks he's insensitive. He thinks he's not good enough, not smart enough to be my boyfriend." Shinobu raised her head and turned to Su. "Like he really knows what he's like." She went back to burying her face in her hands.

"Well, it's not like Keitaro really knows the guy," Su said. "Give Kei a chance, and he'll like him. He's the kind of person that likes everyone." Su turned around and went back to doing the dishes. As she did, though, she heard Shinobu push the stool back and move behind her.

"Let me do these. I feel like I need to do something normal," she said, snatching the sponge from Su's hand. "Go make sure Kitsune doesn't hurt him, or something."

"But," Su stopped. "_I would, but your boyfriend _is _a jerk. He was about to jump me if I didn't get rid of him,_" she thought, recalling the scene at the market.

"But, what?" Shinobu asked, exasperated.

"Nothing. I'll go look," she tried to look as apathetic as she could. She left the room and stepped out into the hall. From there, she could hear Naru yelling at Keitaro in the dining room. She went upstairs to the second floor and ran over to Shinobu's room. From outside the door, she could hear Kitsune and Keisuke talking. "_Well, he's not screaming. That's good._" She slid the door open and walked in.

"Hey, you," Kitsune said. She stood up and walked over to Su. Whispering in her ear, "Hey, I've gotta go check on the teahouse. Haruka wanted me to head over there when I could."

And before Su could protest, Kitsune was already off and away, darting toward the stairs. "She's not, like, mad or anything?" Su asked Keisuke, turning to him.

"No. She just asked about me and Shinobu." Su walked over to the table he was sitting at and took her place opposite him. Her face was serious, unlike most any other time she was at home. She shifted from side to side in silence. Her eyes roamed the room, as though it were entirely new to her.

Then, a voice shook her from her condition. "You didn't answer me this afternoon," Keisuke said. She looked in front of her yet found no one. Slowly turning to her right, she found him, sitting next to her.

"Of course I didn't." She inched over away from him, but he moved as she moved.

"No?" He asked, his eyes seemed glazed. "I know you're lying. You _do _want to be with me. You like me. And you're such a nice girl, too, forsaking your own happiness for your friend's."

"Stop it," she said, now backing away from him. She groped for the edge of the table, as if the action could keep her mentally balanced.

"I know what you feel." He moved closer toward her and grabbed her by the wrist. He pulled her in close to him, her body pushed up against his. Slowly, he held placed a hand behind her neck. "See? You're not even trying to get out of this."

"Y-You're hand," she breathed heavily. "_No. I can't move. I have to get away. I have to get out. Someone, please help me,_" she thought. She struggled trying to wrest her of his grip. But whatever strength she had seemed to dwindle as he pulled her in. His face and lips drew nearer to her and her mind drifted away.

She remembered that this same thing had happened behind the school. Before she introduced him to Shinobu, she remembered that he took her aside one day. He kissed her. He admitted that he loved her. And she weakly kissed him back. She happily gave into whatever selfish desire to be with someone that she had for those brief seconds. For that short period of time, she felt loved. She felt at ease. She no longer felt like an awkward girl far from her home, but she felt comfortable. For that time, she loved.

But, slowly, it drifted away. Slowly, her desire subsided and she pushed him away.

Weakly, she twisted her hand from his. But it made no difference. He had already let go and was approaching her. The muscles in her face relaxed, and she felt herself giving in to him, again. Again, she felt herself compelled to feel as loved as she did before. And, closing her eyes, she felt his lips touch hers. And for those brief seconds, she felt gone. She felt empty. She felt absolutely nothing.

She heard a gasp and her eyes shot open. Immediately, her hand reacted as one pushed him away and another contacted his face. She slapped him on the cheek. Her face, scrunched up with tears forming in her eyes, was red. Now, she felt anger. She stood from her position and walked to the door in silence.

"Get out of our house," she said. Keisuke rose behind her.

"What will you tell Sh-"

"That you got sick from my food," she interrupted. She opened the door to Shinobu's room and stepped aside, "Now get out." Her words were barely a whisper.

Keisuke left the room in silence, a look of disbelief on his face. He walked down the nearby stairs and to the door. Su stood in the doorway, again, immobile. She could hear the sound of the front door opening and closing. And, looking out of the windowed hallway, she saw Keisuke leaving the house.

Su walked out of the room and slid the door behind her. She walked further down the hall and to the stairs and heard footsteps retreating down the hallway. It was only then that she realized that the gasp she heard earlier wasn't hers.

- -

Yumihiko and Motoko walked out of the restaurant into the fading light of the evening, smiles on both of their faces. Motoko looked over at him and felt her happiness well up within her. She clasped her hands in front of her, perfectly content. She loved going out and, in her head, officially determined that dating was fun. "_In fact, I haven't had this much fun, ever,_" she smiled to herself.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked her as they walked down the street.

"I'm thinking about how much fun I had tonight," she admitted. She pointed down a street, toward the direction of the Hinata house. "It was nice going out with you."

"Nice? Just nice?" he asked with a playful smile.

"It was good. And stop pining for more," she giggled to herself.

He stopped in front of an ice cream place and stopped her. "How about some?" he asked, nodding to the store.

"I'm absolutely full. I couldn't eat another bite," she said.

Yumihiko shrugged and continued on. It wasn't much farther to the Hinata house and Motoko felt anxious. She wasn't ready for the night to end. And as they approached the house, she felt a feeling of nervousness overcome her again. "_I started the date like this. I shouldn't be ending it like this at all,_" she thought, trying to calm herself.

"'_It's all about the kiss, you know?'" _she could hear Naru say. "'_That's how you know for sure.'"_

"_What if he wants to kiss? What am I gonna do, then?_" she thought, self-conscious of how she looked.

"Well, you're home," she heard him say. She looked around her and noticed the teahouse, the steps, and the roof of the dorm at the top of the steps. She looked back at him.

"Yeah. I guess so," she said, nervously. He smiled at her.

"Nervous again, huh?"

"What? No, not at all," she lied. She straightened up and returned his smile.

"You had fun, then?"

She nodded. His soft features made her melt. She looked at him and tried to relax a bit. "_Maybe I should do it._" She moved in closer to him. "_He's taller than me,_" was all she could think about at the moment. Her mind, it seemed, refused to stick to a single thought. Her thoughts bounced to and fro.

Understanding her actions, he drew himself closer to her. Gently, he moved his head towards hers and closed his eyes. Motoko tilted her head and leaned in to him. She felt his warm breath fall onto her lips. She pressed a hand onto his chest and closed her eyes as well. A hand wrapped around her neck. The touch made her shiver. Her breath quickened. She felt as if her heart had stopped completely.

And, when he kissed her, her mind blanked.

She held the kiss for a few seconds before breaking it off. She looked up at him as he opened his eyes, his smile as soft as ever. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him again.

Her mind blanked once more. But as she held the kiss, she could only think of someone else. She tried to shut the other out, but her mind continually refocused. His lips were not as soft. His touch not as kind. His intent not as loving.

"_Kitsune,_" she thought.

She pulled herself away from him, and Yumihiko opened his eyes to see her again. He saw her sad look and tried to figure out what she was thinking. Unable to read her, "What's wrong?" he asked in a calm voice.

"I'm sorry," she said. She covered up her face in the shadow of the falling night. "I just don't feel comfortable doing this."

"N-no, I'm sorry. I knew you were nervous I shouldn't have even looked like I-"

"Don't be sorry. You were a great date," she assured.

"Then, what?" he asked, befuddled by her demeanor.

"I don't know what to say. I just think that, I'm not ready for this," she lied. Her thoughts leaped out to Kitsune again. She couldn't keep her out of her head, as much as she wanted to.

"I understand. But can we do this again?" he said, a bit of hope glimmered in his eye.

Motoko shook her head sadly, unable to look him in the face. And as kind as he was, he lifted her head with a soft hand to face him. He smiled at her again.

"It's okay," he said with a laugh. "It was a date. It's not like I asked you to marry me. Besides, you're the one who said no. So, cheer up."

Motoko tried to push out a smile, but it wasn't of any use. She nodded in agreement at him. With a tug of his hand, he tilted her head back down. She felt him kiss her on the forehead.

"Really, it's okay. Maybe I'll see you on Monday for the exam results." He looked over her expression, trying to figure out what could be wrong.

"Yeah, maybe we will," she said, her eyes focusing on him, finally. She managed to force an awkward smile which he returned.

"You should get on inside, then."

She nodded with a smile as he began to walk past her. Then, she took hold of his arm gently and he turned to look at her.

"Thank you for a wonderful night. I'll remember this," she let go of him as he walked away with a smile on his face. Her eyes followed him behind her and she turned to watch him. Now, though, she was facing the direction of the Hinata teahouse. And, there stood Kitsune.

"Had a good time?" she asked from the door, after checking to see if Yumihiko was out of ear-shot.

Motoko drew in breath as if to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. She felt her muscles stiffen, and her throat became dry. She tried to think of anything to say. She tried to force a smile. And when that didn't work, she moved toward the house.

Finally, after taking two steps up the stairs, she turned to Kitsune. "It was nice," she said. "I'm going to my room." And Motoko took off for the dorm.

Kitsune didn't question her. Though her curiosity of the night's events grew, she figured the look on Motoko's face meant "don't ask." She turned back into the teahouse. She checked the stairway to see if Haruka's light was off - which it was - before walking into the kitchen.

She sat down and saw the image of Yumihiko and Motoko kissing.

She thought back to when she kissed Motoko.

And, then, she cried.

- - -

_Sad ending._

_To make up for last chapter's shortness, I made this one longer that I normally did. In fact, this is, quite possibly, my most favorite chapter that I've written. It's sad and sweet at the same time. Anyway, I hope you all loved reading this as much as I REALLY loved writing it. I'm not going to say much about it. But, I will say that this is turning into something more than I thought it would be._

_SS_


	6. I:06: Rainy Day Woman

_Herro! Chapter 6 only seems long because I wrote a lot about the meaning of this chapter at the end. This particular chapter is incredibly dense and very very very confusing. Also, as your FINAL warning, I suggest reading my first story, "Tuesday Morning," for a background of what's going on here. I allude to the story, a lot… I will also be changing the description to mention this story as a sequel. In any case, I hope you all so very much love this chapter. I think it is now my new favorite one. P_

- - -

Pink Camellias  
06 – Rainy Day Woman  
SethSolare

- - -

"This looks depressing," Keitaro said from the railing of the laundry deck. He held a cup of morning coffee and stared out at the gloomy day. He watched the town from afar by himself and sipped away. The day was coated in a gloomy grey with the regular life of the town. It seemed that even the dark clouds over Hinata would not put an end to regular, every day life.

The previous night seemed to really put a damper on the mood in the house. Shinobu seemed pissed at him for running her boyfriend out of the house, which he denied. And Motoko obviously seemed disturbed from her date. "They all date weird guys."

"Well, good thing I got myself a good man," he heard a voice from behind. Naru joined him in the morning ritual. "And Shinobu's still mad at you."

"I didn't do anything! And did she even say she's mad at me? No. So it's not my fault," he said smugly.

"It's not your fault _yet_. And you were a horrible horrible guy-friend yesterday," she returned. Keitaro slumped over after hearing the words.

"It's not my fault that the guy's just iffy. I'm telling you," he nodded at his cleverness.

"What about Motoko? Take a guess about _that _one Kei-dini." She shot him a devilish glance.

"Oh, I have no idea. Who knows? Maybe she's being weird because her sister's coming. Or maybe that guy of hers is really a creep. Motoko could freak out about anything," he laughed.

Naru looked over at him in disbelief, "Wow, way to be mister considerate. She was practically about to cry, last night."

Keitaro quickly stepped away from her, taken aback by her sudden change to a caring demeanor. "I was only kidding," he stuttered.

"You really are clueless, you know that?"

Keitaro grumbled a bit before turning around and leaning on the rail. As he did, he saw Kitsune approach from the stairs.

"Evil looking day, huh?" she commented, joining the two with her own cup of coffee.

"Hey, Kitsune, where were you last night? I didn't even hear you come in," Naru asked. Keitaro walked toward the door that led back into the house, motioning that he would be getting another cup of coffee. When he disappeared, Kitsune took his place next to Naru.

"I, uh, hung out with Haruka for a while. Didn't do much else," she lied, avoiding talking about the night before. "But what's with Shinobu? She seems to be in a foul mood, this morning."

Naru sighed, "Keitaro acted like a jerk to Keisuke. He just left without saying a word. I'd be mad, too." The wind started to pick up a bit, blowing Naru's hair about. She tucked her hair behind her ear and closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her.

"_Cute,_" Kitsune thought. "Got any plans for today?" she questioned Naru.

"Well, we _were _going to go out for a walk around town today. But, I guess we'll be staying inside. And, I think Su managed to unlock a few more characters in that fighting game she got a few days ago. Might just stick around and play that all day," Naru laughed.

Kitsune stayed silent. She wanted to talk to her best friend, but she didn't want to expose whatever was bugging her to someone as happy as Naru. She, more than anything, didn't want to be an emotional burden to anyone. Kitsune began staring at her half-filled cup of coffee, hoping that she would find some semblance of courage. But, of course, no courage came from the mug. Instead, she wanted to simply go back to her room and stay on the floor all day.

"So, what's wrong?" Naru asked bluntly, turning toward her best friend's face. Kitsune's sad expression alone was enough to give enough of a hint to her.

"What's the best part about your relationship with Kei?" Kitsune returned the bluntness.

"Best part?" Naru asked, taken aback. She calmed herself before answering, "Hmm, uh, well, I'd say it's just being with him. You know, like, being in love is the best part." Naru looked away from Kitsune and back out at the town below. "Of course, the extra stuff is why I stay," she laughed.

Kitsune couldn't find a bit of happiness in her to even fake a laugh with her friend. "Then, I wish I had what you had," she whimpered. "I wish I could love someone. I want to stop wishing I was in relationship and actually _be _in one."

Naru smiled at her friend. "Then go out and get one. I mean, don't take me as an example. I was total flake when it came to Kei. But, I know you, and you're not one to simply give up."

"It's not that simple, Naru," she said, dipping her head down between her extended arms. "What if – this person – is taken? And, no, it's not Kei," she said with a bit of a sniff.

Naru looked back over at Kitsune, and placed a hand on the back of her neck. Her hands calmly played with Kitsune's short hair. The soft touch made the girl shiver a bit. "I guess it is more complicated," Naru said.

"Can I tell you a secret? Something that happened that I haven't been able to tell anyone except Haruka," she asked in a whisper. She turned her head over to Naru who simply nodded a response.

"I kissed Motoko a few years back," she admitted.

Naru's eyes widened at the thought. "_Motoko? _She _kissed a girl? Kitsune would, but Motoko? No way!_" Naru's internal voice shouted out. "_But wait, doesn't Motoko have a boyfriend now?_" And as she asked herself this, it finally dawned on her what the problem was. And from her lips escaped a quick, "Oh."

"Yeah, see? That's the thing," Kitsune said, turning back towards the ground and sinking her head back down into her arms.

"Did you talk to Motoko about it last night? I mean, she's seemed pretty deep in thought since she woke up this morning. More than she usually is, in fact." Naru looked up at the sky, trying to simply find a place to look that wasn't the town anymore. But as she did, she felt a raindrop fall on her nose. She noticed Kitsune look up as well.

Kitsune let a groan and handed her half-empty cup to Naru, "I'm going to stay out here in the rain before going to the teahouse. I haven't played in the rain in a long time," Kitsune said letting out a smile.

"And it usually cheers you up," Naru said, taking the cup from her. "Just don't stay out too long or you might get sick."

"Yes, mother," Kitsune responded, turning away. And as she said this, the rain started coming down quickly. From behind, she heard a quick squeak of shoes and a loud thud on the ground.

"Aww, crap!" Keitaro said, as his new cup of coffee spilled all over him with the rain mixing in.

Naru walked over to him and helped him up. "You silly boy," she giggled. Then, she picked up his empty mug and led him back inside the house. As they left, Keitaro looked behind him at Kitsune, hunched over the railing. "She'll be here by herself, Kei," she whispered in his ear. And the two entered the house

- -

Motoko walked through the drenched town with her black umbrella. Her sandals splashed through the puddles of water making a swishing as she moved her feet. Each drop of rain sounded on her umbrella. Through closed eyes, she attempted to find solace in whatever horror she had made for herself the day before. But even trying as hard as she could, she had no will or desire to forget yesterday.

"_Yumi was so kind. He's perfect. He's absolutely perfect_," she thought. Raising her umbrella a little, she looked up at the sky. Droplets of rain tapped on her face as she closed her eyes. "_I gave him away for her._"

She continued walking, thinking of what she had done. True, Yumihiko was indeed a wonderful person. As a man, he was a stunning example. As a boyfriend, he was more so. Motoko fell in love with him. She was wholeheartedly in love.

But when she kissed him, she felt little. There was no pain, no heart, no love. It was only a kiss, nothing more than an expression. It was simply an action she did with no intention. There was no compulsion to want more when it was over. There wasn't a desire to feel his breath again.

Motoko opened her eyes again, confused. "_I want to love him. But, I am only _in _love. Infatuated. And I don't even know him. I only want him because he's pretty and nice. That's why I want to love him._" She tilted her umbrella back over her head and felt her head and shoulders droop.

"But I don't love him." The words came out as a bare whisper. Her own admission of the truth was inaudible amongst the heavy raindrops. Yet, the acknowledgment of the statement dumbfounded her. "_Am I lying? Do I really not love him?_"

She walked onward without any intent or direction. Similarly, her mind wandered aimlessly. "_Didn't I like him? Isn't he what I imagined?_" she asked herself. "_If there was anyone that could be called the perfect man, he would definitely be it._ _I can't even force myself to love him_."

She stopped again, recognizing the familiar ground. A slightly wooded area was to her right. A gravel pathway was laid at her feet. And, as she glanced to the direction of a cough, she saw Yumihiko, smiling.

"I don't suppose you've changed your mind," he said happily.

Shocked that she had even ended up there, she immediately bowed before him. "I'm very sorry about last night," she said with a sob.

"Why're you crying? Seriously, you were the one that dumped me," he laughed.

"I feel like I owe you an explanation."

"It was a date, and my treat, at that. You don't owe me a thing, Motoko," he said. "But if you really want to pay me back, you could walk me home. I didn't think it would be this rainy today and I didn't bring an umbrella."

She looked back up at him and, indeed, his clothes were soaking wet already. She moved over to him, holding her umbrella up for him to stand underneath. He then walked onward to his house with Motoko at his side.

"So, what're crying about? I mean, it most certainly wasn't because of me, right?" he asked.

"No, Yumi! It's not because of you at all! Something else," she responded, with her last phrase calm. She blushed at the thought of what she could say next. No matter how she worded it, the question was embarrassing to ask. "I might as well be blunt, but how do you know if you love someone?"

"Wow, that is pretty blunt," he mused. "Well, let's see. Love. You know when you can't stop thinking about that person. When everything is sad, you look to that person for happiness. And, for when everything is worse than that, you look back at one time in your life when you were utterly happy, and that person was in it.

"You don't exactly know why you love that person. You just do. No matter how weird or awkward it might be, you're almost compelled to love that person. And no matter what you do, you can't get away from it." He looked at her and stopped. "I bet you're not talking about me, either."

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"Well, considering how nervous you were kissing yesterday, you probably wouldn't have the courage to talk about these things with the person you actually love. That would be too forward of you. And, secondly, only friends, not lovers, get this conversation." He smiled at his own wisdom. "So who is this about?"

Then, his eyes widened for a second as if he had some great revelation. "You cheated on your boyfriend with me, didn't you?"

"What? NO!" she yelled. "I didn't even kiss a boy until-" and then she shut her mouth, covering it up with her hand.

Yumihiko's expression turned from serious to silly. "I guess you must be telling the truth," he laughed.

Her grip loosened on the umbrella, weakened by his words. "I'm in love with you," she admitted, forcing the words out of her mouth.

And for once, the unflappable Yumihiko turned on a blush for himself. "Really?" he asked. His expression was that of disbelief. He let a bit of laugh with an uncomfortable smile. But the smile slowly faded. "But you don't actually love me."

"What? No. I do! I do love you," she whimpered, clinging onto him. She hugged him, tightening her hold him. Her grip on the umbrella was gone entirely as it hit the ground. He returned her hug, gently taking hold of her.

"No, you don't," he smiled with droplets of rain hitting his face. "You just like me because I asked you out," he said matter-of-factly.

Motoko's face was drenched in droplets of water. It was only by the saltiness of it all that she knew she was crying.

She knew, most of all, that she was lying to him.

"You had to force yourself to say that. But if you really loved me, you'd really be forced _not _to say it. If you loved me, you'd be spending all your time trying to figure out how to hide it," he said, running a hand through her wet hair.

"No, it's not true."

"You should be with the person you really want."

She looked up at him. She looked up at his forgiving face, his kind eyes. "_He's exactly like Seta,_" she thought. The example of perfection, Yumihiko and Seta, was in human form.

"Being in love is different from actually loving someone," he continued. "Being in love comes from, you know, desire."

Motoko looked down and away from him. She wanted it to be him. She wanted her real love to be him more than anything. She wanted it to not be Kitsune. And his kind advice, his own forsaking of something with her for her own happiness, made her want him more.

"But from personal experience, the person that you love is someone that you never expect. The one person in the world that means anything to you is nothing like the person you imagined yourself being with. The person that you _need _in your life was someone you might've not even wanted. But, really, no matter how hard you try, you can't live without them. No matter how much you don't want to admit it, you do, indeed, love them"

Motoko huddled herself in his grasp. She could feel her legs weaken, her throat tighten. She began to cry uncontrollably. She heard herself gasping for air with each passing second. "_I'm so weak. I'm a coward. I'm the worst person in the world._"

But, then, she felt soft lips on hers. Through breaths, she could sense him once again. But the kiss was quick, fleeting. It lasted no longer than a second. In her ears, she heard him say, "Friends?" She nodded in response before picking up her umbrella.

She pushed the umbrella into his hands and bowed before him. "Thank you. Thank you for listening to me. You're such a wonderful person and I hope you find someone far better than me that loves you," she said, feeling herself smile genuinely.

"I hope I do, too," he said, taking her umbrella. With a big smile, he turned away from her and went home. Likewise, she turned back toward the Hinata house and began running as fast as she could.

"_He's the sweetest person I've ever met._" She cried happily.

- -

Kitsune left the dorm with no umbrella. It was only a short walk from the house to the teahouse, but the downpour seemed to soak her instantaneously. She hadn't even changed from her wet clothes from the deck. "_Good thing I at least keep clothes in Haruka's room_."

She trudged through the heavy storm, wishing that the day would simply end. It wasn't even afternoon and the day had already turned into a lost cause. She didn't feel like working. She didn't feel like walking through the rain. She just felt like sleeping the day away until tomorrow when she could try again.

In her mind, she replayed Motoko's kiss with Yumihiko over and over with each passing step. Each time, she remembered how horrible she felt. She remembered how distant she was from Motoko. And though she felt closer to her than anything, she also felt miles away.

"_For all the years that we've known each other, talking about things like this should be easier. I should be able to tell her,_" Kitsune thought.

Yet with all her wishing, she had nothing. Her life felt over. Even the glorious rain felt like a taunt from the universe, a flood on her emotions.

"_We've been friends forever. We talk. We laugh. We live together. And in the end,_" she paused in her mind. "_It's not enough. It's not enough._"

She replayed her last kiss ever, her kiss with Motoko, again in her mind. "_I know she knew I loved her. I wasn't replacing her for Kei. No. She _knows _I love her. She knows._"

She reached the bottom of the steps and turned toward the doorway of the teahouse. As she entered, she removed her soggy shoes with every intent of sleeping in Haruka's room. But, from outside, she heard her name. A familiar voice called her, "Kitsune!"

She turned to find a familiar form, waiting for her in the rain. She was coated from head to toe by water. Her dark hair was strewn about her shoulders in wet clumps. The clothes clung to her body, accentuating her beautiful features.

And the figure approached. She came closer to Kitsune with a smile on her face, not a care in the world. When she made it to the doorway, she pulled Kitsune out into the rain. Kitsune's bare feet felt the puddles of water rush between her toes, the stone rubbing at her soles.

"Motoko?" she asked, knowing well enough who it was.

Motoko looked at the other woman with all the kindness in her heart. Water ran down their faces. The cold rain mixed with Motoko's warm, happy tears.

Then, taking both of her hands, she clasped Kitsune's cheeks and brought her lips to hers.

- - -

_A nice climatic scene. I had intended for there to be more story of Su, Shinobu, and Keisuke, but it didn't seem to mix in really well. In the end, their scene and dialogue interrupted what is, to me, a very important theme of this story. _

_The conversation between Yumi and Motoko is actually a paraphrased conversation between my friend and me. We talked about how you don't marry the person that you're in love with, you marry the person that you simply love. You can fall in love many times, but being in love is more of a link. The person you love is your other half, not the person you have the most common in with. The person you love is your air, your water, your food. Everything about that person, no matter how much you wish it wasn't them, you need in your life._

_And, considering that it's two women, it's stress the idea more. Motoko is such a traditional person. She's conservative and very family oriented. But she knows, deep down, the person that means the most to her is the person that's loved her no matter how many ways she could be rejected_

_Of course, the distinction is hard to make. Sure, the person you love is the person you're in love with. It's very vague really. And I had a hard time conveying the point. My friend had a hard time conveying the idea in words, too. It's such a difficult distinction to make, albeit a very important one. And even then, the meanings are so vague that you can still use them interchangeably and no one will know what you're really talking about. But, I hope you guys can understand what Yumihiko was saying. If you do, then I very much appreciate it._

_On another note, Kitsune's love for the rain is a small vestige of me. If you haven't played in the rain in a while, I seriously suggest doing it. You have NO idea how fun it is. And if it's really raining hard, tilt your head back, eyes closed. Think of the person you love. It'll make you feel right as… well… rain._

_SS_


	7. I:07: Liars

_Sorry it's been so long. Granted, I managed to be able to pump out a new chapter every one or two days, but I've been busy with finals. And, I've also been working on a new song for my friends. So, my focus has been really split._

_You know, something funny, I never intended the Su and Shinobu thing to happen. In reality, when I planned this story from scratch, it was all about the Motoko and Kitsune. But, midway through writing chapter 3, I wanted to write more for the other characters. Haruka's role was obvious. Naru and Kei, obvious. But as for Su and Shinobu, I didn't know exactly what their conflict could possibly be. However, the whole thing that I started just kind of happened when I decided that Keisuke would come to the Hinata House. And, thus, a side story was born. Weird._

- - -

Pink Camellias  
07 – Liars  
SethSolare

- - -

Motoko, after having spent nearly five hours with Kitsune talking in the teahouse, decided that they should probably head back inside. Motoko's smile would simply not fade from her face the whole time. She had finally had her first _real _kiss with someone that she genuinely care about. And it felt more special this time than any other kiss.

Inside the house at the landing of the second floor, Kitsune finally pried her hand away from Motoko's. She smiled at her and said, "I'm going to head down to the baths. Join me?"

"In a bit. I'm gonna go change real quick. And I left my room in a mess this morning and I feel weird leaving it like that," she said.

"Aww. Were you frustrated over me?"

Motoko blushed before heading upstairs to her room. She felt too entirely new to relationships to feel comfortable about admitting her faults. "_Of course, she's been living with me forever. She could probably embarrass me in ways I could never think of,_" she thought. Yet, as worried as she felt, her smile wouldn't disappear.

She was happy.

With a sigh, she slid open the door to her room. Within, she saw that the entire room had been cleaned. Her futon was rolled up. Her books were in their shelves. Her sword was in the display rack. However, one thing seemed out of place.

"Hey," Su greeted sadly from the middle of the room. She sat calmly at the table like a proper girl. Her hands fiddled with a pencil in the middle of the table as she turned toward Motoko. "Where've you been all day? And why's your hair look horrible?"

"I was with Kitsune," she admitted. "We spent the day in the teahouse talking about stuff."

"Oh," Su said, returning her gaze back to the pencil.

"You seem down," Motoko said.

"You seem up."

Motoko stifled a giggle trying not to make an obviously down Su feel worse or uncomfortable. Motoko turned away, removing her tank top and jeans. "_I feel weird now that I can say that I'm… a lesbian? Is my getting naked in from of Su weird?"_ she asked herself. "_Think nothing of it Motoko._"

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Motoko asked casually.

"Yes. Why do you think I've been waiting for you all day?" Su responded with an angered tone.

Motoko turned toward her friend, her smile finally gone. Motoko's eyebrows furrowed, puzzled at Su's attitude. In all the time she's known her, Su's only acted this strange since she lost her front tooth many years ago. And, even then, it didn't seem like anything that horrible. A date from Keitaro cheered her up.

This, however, didn't seem quite as fixable.

"Okay, so what's really bugging you?"

Su suddenly felt nervous, seeing as how the two had never talked much like this ever. True, as Su got older, her conversations with Motoko became more serious than playful. However, nothing seemed quite like this.

"I screwed up. I mean, badly." Su paled a bit as she looked up at her friend.

"It can't be all bad. I mean, we always fix the house when mecha-tama starts blowing stuff up," Motoko smiled.

Su let out a groan, "It's not something stupid like that, Motoko." She stood up from her seat on the floor. She turned around and sat cross-legged on the table. "And if you're all nervous about changing in front me, I'm all turned around."

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm not at all," she responded, starting to unwrap the cloth bandage around her chest. "I'm just wondering why you're not your usual self."

"You mean a happy happy girl that's not selfish? Someone who isn't afraid of being without a guy just so her friend can be happy? Please, tell me what I am, because, apparently, I'm looking more and more like a horrible person," Su threw the pencil at the wall in front of her, a slight clack on the wall and another on the floor. She hunched over, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"You're not selfish. You're not a bad person at all, Su."

"Really? Because I basically just did the worst thing ever."

Pulling a t-shirt over her head and sliding into some shorts, Motoko continued, "Well, I know you. You like to fix things. You like to make things better. And, whatever you think you did, I know you'll find it in you to fix it."

Su turned around toward Motoko, angered and crying, "I made out with Shinobu's boyfriend! What on earth could I do to fix that? He cheated on her and I let him. How is that supposed to be fixed? Tell me, because I have no idea what to do." She slammed the table with her fist as hard as she could. She hated the person she that she degraded into that night.

"I not only made out with him, I liked it. When I kissed him, I gave in to him like I was going to make him my boyfriend. I wanted to steal him from Shinobu because she's just so happy. And I have to watch Keitaro and Naru and now those two be all happy. And I'm tired of watching these people be happy. I've got nothing. And now I'm a jealous girl that wants other people's things!" Su yelled, her words running together.

Motoko froze. She had not once seen Su act like this before. She had no idea what to say, considering that she hadn't had to deal with matters of the heart until a few days ago. But cheating was a far different story. She had no idea what kind to even think. She simply stayed any response.

Su sat back down slowly on the floor, feet tucked under the table. Motoko, watching Su carefully with a certain disbelief, did likewise. "I'm horrible, Motoko. I wanted something that was Shinobu's. I wanted her happiness. And I took it from her," Su said solemnly. "I hit him after he kissed me, but that doesn't change the fact that I kissed him back."

Motoko, seeing a time for advice, offered, "Maybe if you tell Shinobu that you realized what you were doing was wrong, she might forgive you. If he forced himself onto you, then maybe it won't ruin your friendship. And I'm sure Shinobu would give you the benefit of the doubt."

Su stood up and picked up the pencil she threw at the wall. It wasn't necessary, but she felt she had to do something at this time. She was anxious. She wanted to get this all past.

"Of course, if you want Keisuke, that's a different story." Motoko's words elicited a quick look from Su. Her mouth slowly began to open. Her breathing shortened, staggered.

"I loved it when he kissed me." Su said the words with tears. "I wanted to hate him. But I don't want to be alone, Motoko. I don't want to feel like crap when I see everyone around me being in love!"

"Well, sadly, I have to say that now, you have to decide if you want to have Shinobu or Keisuke. In either case, you lose something. And that's as real as it gets, Su." Motoko rose from her seat walked over to Su. She took hold of the younger girl as she buried herself into Motoko.

"I think Shinobu's a far better friend than a boyfriend that has a history of cheating, don't you?" Motoko asked after a few minutes.

Su nodded into Motoko's chest, wiping away her tears in her t-shirt. "I should talk to her," Su said, her voice muffled under Motoko.

"Good idea."

Su released her grasp on Motoko. The dark haired woman went over to her dresser to get a towel for the baths. She remembered that Kitsune was there, and a slow smile crept across her face. Visibly, though, she stifled it to the best of her efforts, which weren't all that great to begin with.

"And why're you so happy today?" Su asked, about to leave the room.

Motoko turned toward her friend and sighed. With a calm smile, she said, "It's a secret. And I'm not sure I want to go telling people yet. It just means a lot."

"Did you get drunk or something?" Su asked sarcastically.

Motoko simply laughed and left Su behind in the room. Confused, Su did likewise.

She had to find Shinobu.

- -

That evening, Naru watched as Tama floated around her in the hot baths. From time to time, Mutsumi, who decided to spend some time with her friends, would take hold of the turtle and seemingly speak with her. The rain earlier on in the day had finally stopped and the baths seemed more than a good idea. However, it seemed that no one else in the house was even around or wanted to do anything. In the end, only Naru and Mutsumi felt like doing anything, it seemed.

Naru sighed heavily as Tama floated in front of her. Tama tapped on Naru's forehead with a flipper before landing on top. "What's with everyone today?" Naru asked.

"What do you mean?" Mutsumi responded. She seemed very tickled by Tama's current position.

"I mean, everyone's wigging out or something. And I haven't even heard from Motoko or Kitsune all day." Naru slouched over a bit. "And Shinobu's suddenly become a world all by herself. And Su hasn't kicked Keitaro once all day."

"I've seen Motoko and Kitsune today," Mutsumi offered.

"Really? Where were they?"

"Well, they seemed to be having a nice conversation in the teahouse when I came over. And-" She was interrupted by a sliding door.

"Hey, you two," Kitsune's voice called. She walked on over to the two girls in the hot spring with a huge smile on her face. She seemed to simply exude an aura of happiness as she stepped in through the steam. Naru gave her an incredibly strange look as she sat down opposite to the two girls.

"Are you drunk, Kitsune?" Naru asked, seemingly shocked at her current demeanor.

"Nope."

"Are you okay? Because when we last talked this morning, you were totally out of it."

Mutsumi smiled at Naru. "I bet I know why she's smiling," Mutsumi said. The other two looked over at Mutsumi. Kitsune was interested because she didn't even think Mutsumi knew what could've happened at the Teahouse. "She can't wait to find out if she got into Tokyo U, tomorrow!"

"Um, she didn't even apply!" Naru yelled. "Now, I demand that Kitsune tell me what happened. Something awesome must've happened today. And now you've got me all curious," she said turning back toward Kitsune.

"I'm not telling," she responded playfully.

"Maybe she drunk," Mutsumi said. "Most people that are drunk usually say they're not. I know I do!"

"I can't believe you're in Tokyo U," Naru said with a bit of a laugh. "Now, come on, Kitsune," Naru said in a quieter voice. "Tell us what happened today."

Kitsune smiled happily and ignored Naru's request. She, instead, closed her eyes and looked up at the sky. She was already happy with her wonderful, rain-touched kiss that keeping it a secret seemed even more special. And, attempting to satisfy her curiosity, Naru continued to drill Kitsune with guess after guess.

Then, from behind, another girl walked into the bath. Motoko stepped into the baths as the other girls turned to look at her. Motoko tried as best as she could to hold in her smile. She looked back at the puzzled girls and walked over next to Kitsune. Naru stared at the two with a quizzical look, trying to figure out what was going on.

Then, with a slow realization, Naru figured it out. The others could visibly see her insight that quickly encompassed an, "Oh my god!" She clasped her hands to her mouth. Tama popped off of her head with a "Myuh?" before flying over to Mutsumi.

"Oh, I know!" Mutsumi exclaimed. "I knew there was something to you guys kissing earlier." Naru dropped her hands into the water and laughed.

"Wow, you guys kissed?" she asked, her face seemed to glow with happiness for the other two girls.

Motoko and Kitsune nodded together in agreement.

"Aww, that's so cute. You guys even answer questions together." Naru tried to contain her happiness for the two girls, but she just kept smiling. More so, the other three's smiles were simply contagious.

"Well, Mutsumi and I should leave you two alone. Right?" She stood, turning towards Mutsumi who did likewise. "I'm sure you two would like to be alone. And I'm going to find Kei."

Mutsumi and Naru walked past the two girls to get back into the house. However, Motoko grabbed hold of Naru's arm before she could get out. Kitsune turned to face her best friend.

"Please don't tell him, yet. He was so kind in helping me that I want to tell him myself," Kitsune requested. Naru nodded, before turning away from the two women in love.

"They seem so nice together don't they?" Mutsumi whispered as Naru walked past her into the adjacent room.

"They really do. They're complete opposites, but I think that's what makes it so much sweeter," she giggled. Naru, then, put on some clothes and wrapped up her hair in a towel. As she walked to her room, she felt uncontrollably happy for her two closest friends.

- -

Su looked all over the house for Shinobu. The last place she looked was the laundry deck. And as she opened the door to the deck, she peeked out. She inched her way up the stairs, looking around for her friend. As she reached the top of the steps, there was no one on the deck.

Feeling her search was over, she turned to go back inside the house. Then, though, she saw Shinobu sitting on the end of the roof. "_That's her favorite spot. Guess I should stop putting this off._"

Su climbed up onto the roof, balancing herself on the incline. She climbed up on to the top of the incline and walked over to the dark haired girl on the ledge. Her soft footsteps crept slowly behind Shinobu. She coughed slightly, taking a seat behind her friend, her feet firmly planted on one side of the roof.

"So how're you?" Su asked, her voice bright.

Shinobu said nothing.

After a few seconds of silence, Su attempted to continue. "So, I have something I need to tell you," she started. Su looked over at Shinobu, staring at the back of her head. She swallowed hard, taking in a deep breath. Following a soft exhale, "When Keisuke was here last time, something… happened. We were in your room and I ended up hitting him."

Shinobu didn't budge or even make a sound. She sat still.

"Well, I had to hit him. I mean, he was there. And, well, he tried to… I-"

"I already know what you have to say Su. 'You're sorry.' 'You want to fix things.'" Shinobu's voice strained. Her words felt choked in her throat. "You can't. You're always destroying things. You're always trying to steal my life, Su."

Su's mouth opened slightly, her eyes widened slightly. In her mind, she thought, "_How_?" But, she already knew how.

"I saw you. I saw you kiss him. And I saw how you wanted him," Shinobu turned toward Su. Her eyes were red, but dry. She stared intently at Su, who stared back in disbelief. "I will never forgive you. You took the most precious thing to me."

Shinobu stood from her place, staring directly at Su whose eyes followed. Shinobu walked down the roof and back onto the laundry deck. Her eyes turned back toward Su once again. "You know, when he left the house, he even told me he loved me." She paused, looking toward the door. "I told him I never wanted to see him again."

- - -

_Alright, like I said, this side story with Su and Shinobu kind of came out of nowhere. However, it seems that I do, indeed, really want to keep it up. It's actually kind of intriguing. Granted, this chapter wasn't quite up to par as I had hoped it would be._

_Or maybe I just feel unmotivated because I should be studying for summer session finals. . _

_In any case, I hope you all are okay with some slight exposition and character development. Nothing really resolving or conflicting. The next chapter, though, will be very good. Or, at least, I hope it will be. P_

_Also, a bit of rant from me, Motoko's sword that you commonly see in the manga and anime, the one without the hand guard, isn't a proper samurai sword that one of her school would be using. The sword without a hand guard, cloth grip, or separate scabbard is called _Shirasaya.

_A Shirasaya is basically the blade and tang, which is one whole piece of metal, built into a single piece of wood. When the sword was not going to be used for a while or would be kept in storage, the blade was meant to be stored in shirasaya. This was meant to keep the blade protected while not in use. Using a blade in shirasaya wasn't exactly recommended because the scabbard and hilt were a piece of wood that was simply cut in half, hollowed out to fit, and glued back together with rice glue. Granted, the stuff is pretty strong, but it's not gonna keep the sword together when swinging._

_Also, as an aside, a katana isn't exactly a type of sword itself, but more or less a way of wearing one. The blade of a katana is meant to point up, not down. It is also tied to or thrust into an obi, or belt. If it is suspended from a belt, like in some European swords (or from FFVII: AC, the main bad guy… forgot his name), and the blade points down, it is a Tachi._

_Cool huh? And sorry for taking up a lot of space and making it look like I actually wrote more story than I did. But I like doing research on the characters. Also, as a note, when Motoko fights her sister, she uses an actual Daito, which is what a katana is when it's not being worn._

_SS_


	8. I:08: Visitors

_It occurred to me as I developed the opening scene of this chapter that Naru and Keitaro are the only ones in the whole dorm that have an exposed railing outside of their room. The other girls have a nice wooden panel at the bottom and, half way up the wall, a window. It then dawned on me that it might be a good idea to be able to have sliding wood panels on the outside of every single room in the dorm. Why? Because the girls got jealous and made Keitaro build a neat addition to the place! _

_This element was added by me to the little dorm they call home._

- - -

Pink Camellias  
08 – Visitors  
SethSolare

- - -

Darkness fell over the Hinata House in the late evening hours. Kitsune wandered the dark hallways with two bottles of water. In the moonlit hallways, her skin and hair glowed slightly. The beams of light danced on her skin as she moved about. Small creaks from the floor boards, the ruffling of her clothes against her body, and the light splashing of water in the bottles were all that could be heard.

As she reached the top steps of the dorm, she turned down the hallway and walked quietly to a figure leaning out of a window. Motoko turned at the slight shuffling of feet and unlatched the panels below her revealing an open railing.

The railing was made of wood with two horizontal pieces, one at waist height, another at the knee, nailed to a vertical piece. The wood did not match the exterior well. The sliding panels were recently added to Hinata House outside of every room. The windows sat on their own track on the ceiling, the lower panels on the floor.

Kitsune sat down on the floor, dangling her feet over the edge. Kitsune sat down next to her, passing the girl a bottle of water.

"You excited about tomorrow?" Kitsune asked after getting settled on the floor.

Motoko opened the bottle, taking a large drink of water. She let out a sigh, staring up at the moon. "A bit. I don't know what to be excited about more, though."

Kitsune turned to look over at the other woman. A slight grin grew on her face, which slowly transformed into a kinder, softer smile. She closed her eyes, reflecting on the words. Once she opened them she was turned again toward the moonlit Hinata. "I think you should be more excited about your grades. But, you will get a big kiss _when _you pass. Though, I do think it's a bit pointless to go check, seeing as how we already _know _what happened."

"You shouldn't be so confident, Kitsune. You never know," Motoko said, taking another drink.

"You should be more confident, because you passed." Kitsune turned again to Motoko. She moved her head to rest on the railing as she faced sideways. Closing her eyes, "I could sleep here. I'm just so tired."

"It's because you spent the whole day worrying," Motoko turned toward her love, with kind eyes and a soft smile, "little, old me."

"Stop it!" Kitsune cried, letting out a little laugh.

"Not so loud. You'll wake Su," Motoko said, covering up Kitsune's mouth. "And she's not in a good mood right now."

"What? Su? What do you mean?" Kitsune said, her expression turning into puzzled.

Motoko's appearance became more calm and solemn quickly. She closed her eyes, folding her arms on the lower rail. She, then, rested her head on her arms with a sigh. "She just seemed really down. Sure, it happens. But, Su's been pretty happy until recently, I'd say."

"Don't you think it's rude to talk about her like this in front of her room?" Kitsune said with a laugh.

"There's no harm. She tends to share everything with me. Su's like my amazing little sister, you know? Or maybe she's like everyone's little sister, here," Motoko said, her expression unchanged.

"I guess so. I just think it's weird that we're just talking about her in front of her room."

Motoko laughed slightly, "Well, actually, she's a really heavy sleeper. One of her robots could blow up her room and she'd never hear it or notice until morning."

"What's up with her anyway?" Kitsune asked. She sat up straight and took another sip from her bottle. She leaned back, propping herself up with her hands, awaiting for Motoko say something.

"Well, she made out with Keisuke and wasn't able to tell Shinobu until today." Motoko looked around, hoping none of the others were around. "And I have no idea what happened."

"I haven't seen either of them at all today except at breakfast. I mean, granted, we spent the entire day together. But I should've seen them at least once more today." Kitsune turned a look toward Su's door, contemplating Motoko's story. "Is she really that messed up about that?"

"Why wouldn't she? Su kept saying she was selfish. That she was mean. All kinds of things. I think she's mad that she can't even trust herself to be a good friend." Motoko turned toward Su's door as well. She sighed, thinking in silence. Using her free hand, she pushed back some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I don't think Shinobu forgave her," she said in a quiet voice.

Kitsune looked over at her, noticing Motoko's expression. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her lips tight. "I'm thinking you're regretting something," Kitsune said, running a hand through the other's dark hair.

"I can't protect Su, right now. I don't know what to do at all. I can't help at all. I promised I'd always help her, but what can I do if Su's pain comes from her?" Motoko's eyes closed, trying to shut out her despair. Motoko pulled up her legs from the edge of the hallway and laid her body sideways, her head in Kitsune's lap.

Kitsune sat up, slouching a bit. She took hold of the other girl's hand as Motoko brought them around her torso to touch the floor. Kitsune played with Motoko's soft hair and looked down at the young girl below her. "You can't do much, Motoko. Su's grown up and needs to really learn what she needs to do. At some point, even you can't protect her." Motoko turned up, facing Kitsune. "Sorry that sounded so mean."

Motoko looked back out at the darkness of Hinata, "That's okay. It's not like I don't agree with you. I just wish it wasn't true."

Motoko closed her eyes, slowly drifting off into sleep. Kitsune stayed awake, holding her new girlfriend close to her. As Motoko finally went to sleep, Kitsune carried her into her room. The already laid out futon, and two pillows laid out side-by-side, sat in the middle of the room. Motoko's plain, white blanket was neatly rolled out and covered the length of the futon.

Kitsune smiled at Motoko's optimism. "_Heh. I don't think I'm _that _easy. I'll just go to sleep in my room._" Kitsune placed Motoko on the futon, covering her up with the blanket. Brushing aside her hair, she gave Motoko a light kiss before leaving. As she exited the room, she decided to leave just one of the doors slightly opened. She looked on as the moonlight glowed on Motoko's skin before retiring to her own room downstairs.

- -

The next morning, Keitaro woke early, leaving Naru sleeping in the futon. He quickly dressed, pulling on some pants and a shirt before running downstairs. "_That girl can really sleep,_" he laughed to himself. He barged into the empty kitchen pulling out pots and pans as he ran around.

The sounds and smells of cooking permeated through the doors of the kitchen as he started Shinobu's usual morning ritual. Aside from having an early class, he was far more excited about the two boarding girls' test results. And, as he went on cooking, he felt some arms wrap around his waist.

"Hey, you." Naru grabbed onto him as he shut off the burners. She pushed herself up on her toes, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "You're pretty vibrant this morning."

"Class. Test scores. It's pretty cool, you know?"

"You're trying to re-live your life through the other girls?" she asked, letting him go. She snaked her head around to give him a puzzled look.

"Well, it _is _something they cheered me on for. The least I can do is the same, right?" Keitaro shrugged.

"I guess," she responded brightly. "Let me help." She took a pan from the stove and began putting food onto each neatly arranged plate. She smiled along with him, happy that the two other girls had finally made it this far. She recalled the day before, Motoko and Kitsune's happiness. She loved that her best friend had finally stopped feeling sorry for her single life. She was happy that the girl who had grown up the most had finally gotten a reward for it.

"What're you smiling about?" Keitaro asked.

"Motoko and Kitsune are dating, now," she said plainly, humming a little song.

He froze. He felt his bones and joints stiffen. His eyes stuck in place. And whatever words he had to say wouldn't come out. His neck, however, slightly went limp, turning his head sideways. "W-what?" he asked slowly.

"Apparently, they had this thing yesterday. And they're together now."

"Motoko? She's a-a… lesbian?" Keitaro whispered the word, feeling slightly dirty for saying it. Naru, on the other hand, gave him a dull stare.

"It's a new development. Personally, I think it's great that it's Kitsune. She's a great girlfriend, from what I can remember. Of course, that was years ago. And she might've just gotten better as she got older."

Keitaro snapped out of his weird stare for a second, "Wait, I thought she only picked up your scraps."

Naru, calmly, placed the pan on the island in the middle of the kitchen. She stepped over to Keitaro, her smile bright. However, Keitaro, a few second later, felt a bit of the world go black, his face in pain. "If you weren't holding breakfast, you'd be through the window," she said, retracting her fist.

He shook off the slightly painful smack; a red, stinging sensation was all that was left. He laughed nervously, before returning to finishing the food. "Trying to make me sound like a villain, eh? She got guys all by herself," Naru said. She placed a pan on the counter before walking toward the door. As she reached for the handle, Shinobu popped up on the other side of the opening door.

"Oh, good morning, Naru. I didn't know you'd be up this early," Shinobu said, trying to peek around Naru. "You guys made breakfast?"

"Keitaro did. I kinda helped," Naru smiled.

"Why's his face red? Did you get burned, Keitaro?" Shinobu rushed past Naru. She looked over his face, trying to figure out what happened. After a few seconds of inspection, her expression turned to realization, "Oh, you said something stupid and she hit you, right? Good job, there."

Keitaro laughed nervously again, holding up one of the finished plates. Shinobu promptly took one from him along with the others on the island. Using her back, she pushed open the door to the dining room, setting up plates at all of the chairs. When she reached Su's place, though, she halted for a second, thinking not to even place one there.

"_I don't need them asking,_" she thought to herself as she placed the plate on the table.

It wasn't long after that the rest of the girls came down, one by one, to have breakfast. The morning, which was usually so loud and hectic, was dry, quiet, and boring. No one spoke, no one glanced at another, save for Motoko and Kitsune. And, one by one, all left the table until only Keitaro and Naru were left.

"That was weird," Naru said quietly.

Keitaro simply nodded. "I guess they're just freaked out about going to see their test scores."

"You're probably right. And we should get going now if you want to make it class," she said, standing from her seat.

- -

Motoko stood before the huge panels of names as she did before. However, she didn't care to look for Naru's, Keitaro's, or Mutsumi's names, the owners of which had been too late to see the results and make it to class. The three already went off on their, promising a party when they got home.

Shinobu, on the other hand, barely left the house. After making it to the bottom of the steps, she flipped a glance over to the teahouse. She quickly darted off for Haruka as she yelled that she would help out.

Motoko spent her time staring at the ground, unable to glance up. Of course, next to her, Su was already celebrating. "Come on, Motoko. Look for your name, already. It's a mess trying to find your name and not your exam number," Su urged.

"I don't really want to," she responded shyly. "And why are you so happy? Yesterday you could barely stand and now you want to run around and-" she ended with a sigh.

"Every once in a while, I'm allowed to delude myself into happiness. You, on the other hand, can actually be happy without a burden," Su said calmly, standing still as she said this.

Motoko looked over at Su. Sighing again, she reached into a small messenger bag. From it, she pulled out her exam ticket and handed it Su. "Do it for me. I can't look," she said folding her arms.

"You're such a baby, Motoko," Su walked off down the rows of celebrating and disappointed students. Motoko stood in her exact same spot, not wanting to move. "_If it's not Tsuruko, then I'll just be disappointing myself,_" she told herself. She quietly began to pray in her head as she closed her eyes.

Her calm, however, was broken rather quickly. As she started, she felt a soft touch on her lips. Her eyes flickered. A smile slowly crept on her face. "_It feels… nice._" It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she found Kitsune staring right at her. "Eh? What was that about?" Motoko asked loudly.

"Geez, I just wanted to congratulate you on passing. Silly girl," Kitsune smiled at Motoko as she gently stroked her cheek. Kitsune then stepped closer, cuddling up to Motoko as she wrapped her arms around her. Kitsune continued with a deep, slightly seductive voice. "You're definitely a hot catch now, Motoko. I better watch out!"

"C-cut it out! That's embarrassing!" Motoko pushed Kitsune off of her. "I'm not Keitaro or something. It's just creepy. Especially with that voice! A-and URGH!" Motoko felt very weak all of a sudden. Her face scrunched up as she jumped over to Kitsune and grabbed hold of her. "I can't believe I did it. I finally made it. The torture's OVER!" she cried.

Kitsune took hold of the girl and gently ran her hands through her hair. "You know, this is weird that you're taller than me," Kitsune laughed. However, from behind her, another laugh came. At first she thought it was Su. But Su was still standing behind Motoko's weeping form. Uncomfortably, Kitsune, while holding tight to Motoko, turned her head around to find a familiar face.

"I recall the name, Yumi, correct?" she asked the man behind her.

"Yup. How's she doing?" he asked Kitsune.

"She got in. Personally, I'd be pretty happy about it. I don't know what's wrong with her," Kitsune responded with a smile.

"Eh? Yumi? You got in?" Motoko lifted up her head from Kitsune's shoulder, her eyes and cheeks slightly red. Kitsune laughed as she gently let the girl stand on her own.

"I did indeed. Is this… the person?" he asked pointing to Kitsune.

"Yes, I am," Kitsune said slowly, shyly. "I'm Kitsune. And the one behind us with the barrel of energy is Su."

"It's good to have met you, Kitsune. I trust that Motoko is happy, yeah?" he asked, his eyes and smile aglow.

Kitsune giggled at the phrasing of the question. Motoko wiped a tear away as she looked up to respond, "I'm good. I got in. I-I have her. It's great," she sighed happily.

"That's good to hear. I thought I saw a woman much like you back home before I left. I thought it was you, actually." Yumihiko laughed a bit. "I kind of embarrassed myself by frantically asking this stranger how she did on her Tokyo U exam."

Motoko laughed slightly while tying her hair in a ribbon. "That's kinda weird. I don't know anyone in Hinata that really looks like me. I'm pretty tall and stuff."

"Actually, I think she was taller than you," he said, his face giving a quizzical look.

"Taller?" Kitsune asked.

Su, then, whispered something rather quick in Kitsune's ear. As she did, it came to her that only one person could fit the mild description. She suddenly felt slightly weird about the whole thing before she realized that Motoko had also figured it out.

"T-that's my sister," Motoko blushed. "I thought she was coming tomorrow!"

"And the house is a total mess," Su yelled, though she didn't seem disturbed by it at all.

"We need to get home," Kitsune said, forcing a smile.

"Well, I guess it's a big deal. So, you might as well," he said as the girls ran off. "And I'll stop by your teahouse sometime." He waved at the fleeing figures before turning toward his new, happy school.

- - -

_Wow… okay. It's taken me a really long time to put this one out. I kinda feel weird because it's only a transition chapter. Oh well, it's not the worst thing ever. However, it's also not my favorite chapter. Sigh. However, Motoko's little thing at the beginning where she lays out two pillows... I thought it was kinda cute. I used to be the same. P  
_

_Also, I am happy to note that I've got about 2-4 chapters before I finish this thing. I have a few ideas on hand._

_Lastly, next chapter will be really short. At least, in my head it seems short. I'm not too sure yet. In any case, thanks to all those who review and stuff. Later._

_SS_


	9. I:09: Uncontrolled

_I think I'm making these opening comments a habit. I should stop doing them. But, as I write, I have a lot of things I just want to talk about. For instance, this first section of the chapter is long and very dialogue heavy. Jane Austen-esque, no?_

_- - - _

Pink Camellias  
09 – Uncontrolled  
SethSolare

- - -

Haruka lit a cigarette as she waited for the tea to finally finish. With a quick puff, she stuck the cigarette in the corner of her mouth. She pulled her apron tighter, feeling the tie in the back loosening. In her mind, she thought of all the ways she could start the conversation. She always wanted to come up with a very dramatic way of starting these sorts of talks. Something like, "How's it goin'?" or "What's up?" seemed entirely too boring, considering that she had to have one of these conversations at least once a week.

She leaned up against the counter in the kitchen, and she noticed a tapping sound – the sound of her ring. She was happy, strangely enough. It had been more than a year since she had been married. So much time had passed since she had even had the chance to talk to the girls like this.

"_Maybe marriage has softened me up,_" she thought. She didn't feel quite as bitter. She didn't feel unhappy. "_I don't feel like the girls,_" she smiled to herself. She had found her happiness. She smiled for Naru and Keitaro who had done the same.

"_I suppose it's my job to help them find their own, now._" She realized the tea had long finished and that Shinobu had already poured it into cups.

"Oh, heh, sorry. I was kind of staring off on my own, here," Haruka apologized.

"It's okay; I'm sure you've been busy and have a lot to do. I shouldn't be bothering you," Shinobu responded solemnly.

"It's a teahouse. Not a lot to do, seeing as how it's not much of a morning right now. Slows down at around ten, you know," Haruka said. She took a cup and walked out into the main room. Shinobu followed then walked past to sit at a table. Haruka took a seat across from her.

"I hate Su. I can't believe she would do _anything _like that," she said softly. She closed her eyes, feeling a need to cry. No tears came. With a sigh, she opened her eyes again.

"Well," Haruka started. "I can say that it's not an easy thing to deal with. She kissed him. Of course, it's known that Su's a much better than he is."

"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked, taking a sip.

"Su's not the kind of person to do something like that. Sure, she blames herself a lot for a hundreds of thousands of things, nowadays. But, from what Keitaro says, Su rarely does anything wrong. She likes to blame herself, put all the blame on herself."

Shinobu nodded. "She tends to do that a lot."

"Yeah, well, that's just the kind of person she's become. From fixing machines to people, she likes to do that. She likes to fix things. And, from experience with Seta, it's far more motivating to fix things that you did, rather than someone else's," Haruka lifted up her cup to take a sip. She stopped, "Well, most of the time."

"So, what then?"

"Su didn't say it was her fault. Usually, people like her, they don't admit that something is their fault when it really isn't because, really, they don't know how to fix it. They can fix everything but themselves. They work under the façade that they can fix anything, anyone. But, suddenly, when it's themselves, they can't do anything.

"They spend so much time worrying about other people, learning about others, figuring out people's lives, that they don't even worry about themselves. They can be strong for everyone else," Haruka pushed back her growing hair. Placing her elbow on the table, she propped her head up on her hand. "She was strong enough to give up her own happiness so that you could have your own."

"Keisuke's a jerk," Shinobu downed her tea after the phrase.

"Jerk or not, at the time, he wasn't. In fact, you were pretty in love with him."

"How do you know that?" Shinobu asked.

"Heh, unlike you, Kitsune, Keitaro, and Naru talk to me frequently," she giggled. "Though, Keitaro is generally more interested in talking to Seta."

Ignoring the last sentence, Shinobu went on, "So, then what? Su still kissed him."

"Well, like I said, she didn't admit it was her fault. She's far more honest than any girl I've ever met. And, because of who she is, I doubt that it is her fault. The only thing she could think of doing was admitting that it happened. Maybe she hoped that it could all be fixed on its own.

"Regardless, it doesn't seem it was fixed. She wants this to be better. She genuinely does," Haruka finished off her own tea. "And I know you do, too. You care more about Su than some guy."

"What did all of that stuff she did mean?" Shinobu asked.

"Huh?"

"I watched her kiss him back. I watched her as enjoyed it. And he put his hands on her and she loved it," her words transformed from whisper to whimper. Her mascara turned a purplish-black as a single tear dripped from her eye.

"She said she hit him," Haruka said softly.

"So? She enjoyed it," she cried softly.

"Everyone likes being kissed, Shinobu. But Su's the kind of person to constantly give up everything for everyone else. And she does so without thinking about how much it will hurt her. And then, for a few seconds in her life, something in her breaks. She crumbles and gives into something that she wants, she finally stops thinking about other people."

"So, then, it _is _her fault. But, she can't really control it?" Shinobu asked, puzzled as her eyes turned more purplish.

"She can't, really. I mean, I guess she could, but can't be blamed for it. It's like blaming a crazy person for doing something weird. Sure, if they tried really hard, maybe. It is, however, just part of them," Haruka said.

"Su's insane?"

"Well, we all know _that_."

Shinobu's shoulders dropped. "I'm not really feeling funny, Haruka."

"Fine," Haruka took the cigarette from her mouth and smothered it on an ash tray. "In any case, she's not insane. She just doesn't know when to be happy. She doesn't know what even makes her happy. Sure, she's okay with helping her friends, but what about when they no longer need her help?"

"She'll have nothing to do, then," Shinobu realized.

"Exactly. She'll have nothing to do except feel miserable and useless," Haruka said, closing her eyes.

"Useless?"

Haruka nodded. "People obsessed with helping everyone feel useless when they can't help, anymore. They sabotage their lives for it, thinking that they can be happy. Why not a kiss and a chance to fix something? She gets a two for one, really. Of course, in the end, she only screws up her own life."  
"So what should I do, now that you've fully psychoanalyzed Su," Shinobu said.

"Well, first tell her that you forgive her. And I'm telling you that because I think you should. Su knew it was wrong when she did it. Keisuke, as he left, had every intention of acting like it never happened," Haruka said.

"Then, I'd try to focus on helping her find happiness first. And not by screwing up your life so she can fix it. The most important thing to remember about people like Su, they desire, more than anything, that someone save them," Haruka reached over and brushed aside Shinobu's hair.

"I want to forgive her," Shinobu whispered. "Su's been my best friend."

"She wouldn't ever want to do this to you. She hates herself now, sure. But, what's great about Su, if you go and save her, she'll be happy that someone did," Haruka stood from her seat, taking Shinobu's empty cup.

"So I become what she was for me – someone who fixes her life," Shinobu said.

"She'll always remember that she hurt you once. It's a good and bad thing. The good is that she'll never do anything to hurt you ever again. She'll always remember it. She'll also remember that you forgave her. She'll remember that you were there to save her even though she didn't deserve it.

"The bad is that she'll always carry that with her. Even though it changed her for the better, she'll hate herself forever for hurting you," Haruka disappeared into the kitchen. Shinobu stayed outside at the table. Folding her arms, she hunched over and buried her face.

Haruka stepped back into the room, carrying full cups of tea. "I want to just forget about this. Like it didn't happen. But she'll always remember it," Shinobu said in despair. "I don't want to be the source of her unhappiness."

"Well, it's just something she has to live with now. But, if you don't forgive her, she'll be worse off for not fixing it. She'll be worse because she lost a friend. And you know what?" Haruka said, sipping her tea.

"What?" Shinobu took her cup as she lifted her head up out of her arms and did the same, awaiting Haruka's words.

"You'll be worse off for the exact same reasons."

"So, we forgive each other, then?" Shinobu asked, her tears coming back again.

"Of course you do. You're the best of friends. You trust her more than that to believe that she would honestly cause you pain," Haruka smiled. "You know that for sure."

Shinobu nodded slowly before sipping her tea in silence.

She stayed for a while, sipping and staring. Haruka, being the kinder person she felt like she was, stayed for the girl. The quiet peace of the teahouse mixed with the birds outside brought Haruka's eyes to closing. As she did, she heard a knock from behind her. Shinobu, hearing the sound, immediately dropped her head down, fearing that someone would see her dripping make-up.

Haruka turned to see a familiar face, "Well, I think I remember you."

"It's good to see you, Haruka. I'm glad to see that you are well. And my sister has told me that your marriage has been a happy one," the dark haired woman said in a kind voice.

"It is," Haruka nodded. "I guess I should show you into the house. They're all out, right now."

"I figure," Tsuruko bowed. "I would, however, like some tea first, if that's all right."

"It's what this place is for," Haruka responded as she ushered Shinobu into the kitchen, trying to hide her face from the other woman.

- - -

_Yeah, like I said, it was gonna be really short. And so, indeed, it was. However, short as it was, this is a very personal chapter for myself. Kind of an introspection, I think. This is because the way I have portrayed Su in this story is basically me. Haruka's analysis of Su is my personal analysis of myself. Just some weird trivia for you people…_

_In any case, the reason I made this chapter short is because the next set of stuff that'll happen doesn't really mesh well in the same chapter. My chapter titles do have meanings and it just didn't fit too well. In any case, see you all soon._

_SS_


	10. I:10: Tearing Away

Pink Camellias  
10 – Tearing Away  
SethSolare

- - -

By mid-afternoon, the Naru, Keitaro, and Mutsumi had finally finished up for the day. During lunch, they had decided to search the boards and grounds for both Motoko and Su. However, after finding the names, neither of the bodies that went with them could be found. By the afternoon, Mutsumi had checked her voice mail to find that the girls had gone home to see Tsuruko.

"Well, I guess I'm going to hang out on campus for a little while," Mutsumi said as they were about to leave the grounds for the train station.

"Huh? Why? Hot date?" Naru asked with a sly grin.

Mutsumi's eyes narrowed slightly, secretively, "Sort of."

"Wait, you really do have a date? That's cool! Is he hot?" Naru asked, her eyes glowing.

"Well, someone's gotta have a hot date once in a while. So, I'll leave _you _two alone," she said with a smile while bouncing away back into the school.

Keitaro looked puzzled at the whole event. "I've never seen her with a guy, though."

Naru looked over at him in disbelief. "You really are clueless, you know that? She totally meant us, you retard."

"Retard? That's romantic," Keitaro laughed.

"Hey, it's _your _problem. I'm totally the brains of this whole thing. You, on the other hand, haven't got brain or brawns," she sighed sarcastically.

"Yeah?" And he quickly scooped Naru up, lifting her up by her legs and back. He held her up with his own strength in a cheesy romantic pose. "_Heh, I look pretty awesome, now._"

But as he leaned down to kiss her, his lips met with a quick jab to the face. "I'm wearing a mini-skirt!" she screamed, as she straightened out her clothes. "Geez, knowing you, after flashing everyone here, you were gonna feel me up."

Keitaro quickly snapped out of his slightly wounded state. "Well, at least I do have the brawns part down."

Naru giggled, as she leaned over to kiss him. "You silly boy." She took hold of his cheeks and brought him closer. His warm face sank into her hands. Slowly, the sting he felt from earlier disappeared.

She let him go, slowly, and backed away. "Heh, cute," was all he said.

"Oh, see? Now you made me do something really weird in public," she said, her face turning red. "And Mutsumi's right, you rarely take me out on dates, now. Now that you've got me, are you done trying?"

"What? No way! We'll go on a date this weekend," Keitaro said nervously, his voice cracking slightly.

"Hey! Maybe we can bring Kitsune and Motoko with us. Double dates are nice."

"I don't know. Shouldn't they go on their first date alone?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. But you only say that because you're all traditional and stuff. You wouldn't even let me ask _you _out," Naru said. Keitaro, in whatever nervousness he had, decided not to say much after that. The two walked on, then, in silence.

Once they finally arrived at the train station, they boarded the train back to Hinata. By that time, Keitaro had finally started to relax a bit. "So, do you think they're alright?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Like, you know, as far as their being together. Tsuruko came here. And knowing Motoko's life, I doubt Tsuruko would even be remotely tolerant of a lesbian relationship," Keitaro said softly.

"That's insightful of you," Naru observed. She sat silently, thinking to herself. After a few seconds of silence, she couldn't think of a thing. "It's just that they have to figure out what to do. And knowing Motoko, she'd definitely try and hide it for as long as she could."

"Isn't that a bit unfair to Kitsune? To hide their relationship from her family?"

"It's not about fairness, it's about staying together. Look at it this way, if Tsuruko finds out, she might force Motoko to marry some random guy she picks out. Motoko'll be miserable. Kitsune'll become distant, depressed, and miserable. It's just not going to be good at all," Naru looked down at her shoes as she said this. She wanted her best friends to be happy. Part of her, though, knew that there was just too much in the way.

"Well, what should we do?" Keitaro asked.

Naru looked up at him with a gentle smile. "That's why I love you. Always wanting to be there for everyone," she kissed him softly. "But I don't think this is something that you can or should fix."

Keitaro blushed at her cute demeanor. He let out a small breath and a smile, "Maybe Tsuruko will be okay with it."

Naru's smile slowly disappeared, and she tilted her head back and started at the ceiling. "I honestly doubt that. Tsuruko might be happy about her sister getting in and all, but I doubt it'll be wonderful news to find out that someone in her family's bi – let alone in a lesbian relationship. It's not exactly an okay thing, right now.

"The fact that we're okay with it is great. We all love Kitsune and Motoko. We all want them to be happy. But Motoko's family is all about tradition. They're probably not as accepting," Naru said with a sad voice.

Keitaro, reflecting on the words, said nothing else the whole way home. Naru did likewise.

- -

"I'm so happy for you!" Tsuruko exclaimed, hugging her little sister. "I'm so proud, too. After all this time, you've done it." She cooed and giggled, rather uncharacteristically, as she clenched Motoko tightly.

"Th-thanks, sis. Really," Motoko stuttered, slightly unable to breathe.

Tsuruko released her tight hold before walking back over to the couches in the lobby. Haruka poured a set of tea for the group as they all sat down. Kitsune sat next to Motoko, uncomfortably trying to think of something to say.

"_Maybe I should say something._" Kitsune fumbled around in her head for a list of topics. Of course, the whole ride home, and in complete silence, no one could think of anything to say to Tsuruko. "_We already made it past the obvious. 'Tokyo U, yay!' But,_" and her mind trailed off.

"You know, I knew for certain that once you had Keitaro's help and motivation, you'd give it all you had. And for that," Tsuruko reached behind the couch quickly as if she was a kid again, "I give you this."

Tsuruko pulled out, first, a long box. Then, she reached again for a large suitcase. She pointed to the long box first, "That, my wonderful sister, is the thing you wanted most as a child," she said. "In the suitcase, I noticed your style of clothes changing. So, I thought, 'I should be a big sister and buy my little sister some new clothes.' So I did." Tsuruko made a huge smile and, from the look of it, could just barely hold back her giggling.

"Wow! You gave me your sword?" Motoko smiled as she ripped open the first box. True enough, Tsuruko's sword was in the box. "This was a forged blade. It was _made _for you. You sure you want to just give this to me?" Motoko asked shyly.

"Oh, come on. We get forged blades as gifts, now. We are a famous school. So who cares who made it? This particular sword is my gift to you for your growing up," Tsuruko said. "The clothes are just bonus."

"Thank you," Motoko stood up and leeched onto her sister. "It means a lot to me. Really."

"Heh, great. Now we just have to find you a husband and we're all set," Tsuruko beamed. Motoko froze for a second, hoping that her sister wouldn't notice.

"_Oh I found _some_one alright._" Motoko told herself sarcastically. Motoko released her sister, straightened out her shirt, and sat back down. Motoko forced a smile as best as she could as Tsuruko obliviously smiled on.

Haruka glanced back and forth at the two. She watched as Motoko shifted again and again, for a few seconds. Kitsune did the exact same thing. Then, Su, who had decided to wait outside in case anything should happen, finally came inside. "_I guess I should do something_," Su thought to herself.

"Haruka, why don't we help Tsuruko get her stuff into her room. Motoko must be all tired and stuff from celebrating," Su offered.

"Su! I heard you got in, too! I'm happy for you. I know you and Motoko are best friends, and I knew you'd look out for her." Tsuruko stood and dashed over to Su to hug her.

"Well, you're just a barrel of happy, today, aren't you?" Su laughed.

"Of course. But, I think Motoko's tired and would probably like a bath or something. I might come down for one myself after I get settled in," Tsuruko said as Haruka gathered up her things. Su, after being released from her tight hug, did likewise. The three women disappeared upstairs and Motoko and Kitsune were left in the lobby.

"So, bath?" Kitsune asked.

"I don't want to tell her," Motoko said, as soon as she knew Tsuruko was out of hearing range. "It's unfair to you. But we really shouldn't tell her."

"Tell her what? Because, really, I have _no _idea what you're talking about," Kitsune smiled and patted Motoko's cheek. "You're just getting all delirious from today."

Motoko's face shifted from worried to slightly relaxed, relieved, and still worried. "Bath," she said simply, standing from the sofa.

- -

Su dropped off Tsuruko's luggage in the empty room, marked 305, next to Naru's. Su said absolutely nothing as she left the room and Tsuruko and Haruka sat down to talk. As she left, she heard the two women discuss marriage and weddings. Two middle-aged women talking of love seemed rather old for Su.

Su wanted to just go back to her room after a long day and train ride from the school. Now that she was alone again, her mind drifted back to Shinobu. She thought of Keisuke. His betrayal and her betrayal made her feel hellish thinking about it. She kept wondering if Shinobu would even forgive her.

"_Ugh, maybe it's just my getting all feminine. Mood swings rock,_" she thought sarcastically. "_School was great, at least._" She sighed as she walked drudgingly to her room. She passed the stairs and thought differently.

"_I need to restock my fridge,_" she thought as she turned back for the stairs. She went down to the second floor. When she arrived, she peeked from the stairwell down the hallway to Shinobu's room. In her head, she hoped to find the girl sitting at the edge of the floor, looking out over the city. Finding nothing, she slid open a window and looked up at the roof of the building.

Not seeing Shinobu anywhere, she closed the window and went further down into the lobby. When she got there, Shinobu was sitting on the couch clutching a can of soda. Shinobu's back was turned away from the stairs. Her body was still and silent. She was hunched over, elbows on her knees, eyes facing the front door. Shinobu looked entirely lost in whatever she was doing.

Su, from above, stared directly down at Shinobu from barred railing of the stairs. She slid down, clutching two of the thin wood pillars supporting the handrail and sat on a step directly behind and above Shinobu. Pressing her forehead to the pillars, she watched Shinobu do nothing at all. Su, feeling randomly annoyed by her hair, removed the band holding her it up. She shook it slightly before putting her head on the pillars again.

Sticking her arms through the railing, Su fumbled a bit with her hair tie above Shinobu. She did likewise with any way to start a conversation. Nothing came to her. Whatever words of "I'm sorry" or "I wish none of this had happened" seemed rather useless. She simply stared down at Shinobu's dark hair.

"You know, I've known you long enough to know that you walk very heavily and slowly when you're sad," Shinobu started. Her voice was calm, quiet. She put her can on the table and continued to stare forward.

"I know." Su didn't know how else to respond. The words just came out in whatever meaningless fashion they did.

"I've also noticed that you've been walking slower for a while," Shinobu continued. This elicited no response from the girl above. It was quiet for a few minutes as time just went by. Shinobu opened her mouth again, "Did it really bother you that much that Keisuke was with me?"

"No. It didn't," Su whispered.

Shinobu flipped her head up and stared directly at Su. "Stop lying!" she yelled. "I'm so tired of you thinking that you need to protect me and do this and that. Be honest with me or something! Don't just sit around looking like you're okay with all your sacrifices and then end up killing yourself over it!"

Su looked away. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. She said nothing.

Shinobu sat back down, taking a quick drink from her can. "You know," she started again softly, "there was a time when you were so selfish. All you wanted was to have fun. Really, that's all you ever did. Suddenly, you became someone entirely different. You gave up your selfishness one day and that was it. So what happened to you?"

Su looked back down at Shinobu. She watched as Shinobu tucked her growing hair behind her ear and threw the rest back. From above, Su dropped her hair tie with great accuracy next to Shinobu. Without looking back up, Shinobu took the tie and wrapped her hair with it.

"I never told you why I told Keisuke I wouldn't date him in the first place," she said. "One day, behind the school, he just went and told me he wanted to be with me. He kissed me and I loved it. I wanted it to be like that forever. It just felt good, no matter who it was."

Shinobu listened intently. She swallowed and closed her eyes.

"I've kissed a lot of people before. I'm your Kitsune. And you're Naru, my giving up guys for you. But I'm not happy being by myself, Shinobu," she said. Her voice died away, "I don't want to be happy.

"Every guy I've ever kissed, I wanted. I wanted to be with them more than anything in the world. Guy after guy was the same thing. Each time, all they wanted was to just kiss me and grope me and leave. It hurt, every time. But I kept jumping in hoping that each time would be different. And it never was. And every time some guy left me, all I wanted was more. I wanted to be happy. Nothing else mattered except my hope that the next would make me happy. I wanted it. Then Keisuke actually wanted to be with me.

"And you know what?" she paused. She sniffed before continuing, "I didn't want that. I wanted him to just come and go, like every other guy. I-" her voice stopped. She tried to shake the idea from her head but she just continued. "I'm addicted to feeling hurt. Since then, all I've wanted is to just feel like crap. That way, whenever I'm happy, I can be entirely and totally encapsulated with it."

Shinobu sat, staring down at the floor now. "It doesn't make sense," Su continued. "But I didn't want him to just want to be with me. I wanted him to hate me so I could be with him again to feel happy again. I'm just so screwed up."

"Su, you're not screwed up. You just haven't been completely happy. Those guys were just temporary fixes. It's not that you want to be hurt, it's just that they aren't enough for you," Shinobu stood up and walked up the stairs. She sat down next to her friend who had tears streaming down her face.

"I don't want to wait forever. I'm just 18, and I'm saying I don't want to wait forever. But I don't. I want to be really happy. But everyone leaves me. Everyone always wants to leave me," she turned from the bars and cried into Shinobu. "And now you want to leave me. You hate me. I betrayed you. I took your boyfriend because I'm selfish. I just want everything for myself."

"Su, you're my best friend. Keisuke wasn't all that great of a guy anyway. He's the selfish one. And all those other guys just don't deserve someone like you," Shinobu comforted her. "Someone does. But none of them do." Shinobu stood her friend up from the uncomfortable stairs and led her to the couches. Su plopped down as Shinobu grabbed a pillow from the one of the ends. Placing it on her lap, Shinobu laid Su down sideways on the couch with her head on the pillow.

"I'm sorry, Shinobu. I'm sorry I hurt you." Su whispered the words through the deep breaths of her crying. She groped around for Shinobu's hand as she clenched it.

"It's okay. I know you are. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was Keisuke's fault anyway." Su, slightly relieved, cried harder at the words. Shinobu amused herself slightly with the sudden change of roles. She suddenly felt like the stronger girl. And Su was the one who needed the help.

"I'm always going to know you'd never want to hurt me Su," Shinobu said calmly as she ran her hands through Su's messy, loose hair.

- -

Motoko and Kitsune into the open air baths. When they got outside, Kitsune dropped her towel to the ground and jumped on in. Motoko stayed on the edge, sitting on the rocks. She kept her towel on.

Kitsune, after noticing no splashing sound after hers or a body next to her, opened her eyes to find Motoko far away from her. She scooted over to Motoko, who had even noticed that Kitsune was next to her now, and started brushing her knee with her fingertips. Shaking her head, Motoko snapped out of her little trance and glanced down at her girlfriend.

"_My girlfriend. I don't know. I feel guilt for you calling you that. I feel,_" her mind halted. Even her head, she tried not to say it. But, as she remembered more and more that her sister wished her to find a male counterpart, her voice within finished with, "_dirty._"

"If it's bugging you that much, we don't have to be around each other while you're sister's here." Kitsune stopped playing with Motoko's leg and kept her hands to herself.

"Don't. Don't stop doing that," Motoko whispered. "It's nice."

Kitsune didn't do anything. "I already know it's annoying you that you can't say anything. You probably wish you hadn't started something like this so close to your sister visiting. It might've given you more time to develop courage to tell her." Kitsune inched away from Motoko slightly.

"I honestly do care about you Kitsune." Motoko tried to move closer to Kitsune, only to have the other move away again. "You know that right?"

"I know you do. You're a kind and wonderful woman. I'm lucky that you even wanted to have a relationship with me even though I'm…" Kitsune sighed. "I'm a woman. I'm surprised in fact. For the few days we've been together, I've been entirely happy."

Kitsune kissed Motoko's hand and looked up into her eyes. "You make me happy."

Motoko smiled gently. Her old, warrior shell broke that moment. She felt herself become more of a woman. She felt loved. She felt happy. And she opened her mouth to speak, "Kitsune, you make me happy. You're the only person that's made me want to let down my guard and give in to someone. You make me want to give part of me to you."

"I know, which is why we can't have Tsuruko find out."

However, as she said this, a loud clack could be heard from behind them. The door had slid closed suddenly, rapidly. "Find out what?" Tsuruko asked, firmly. She clenched her towel to her chest with one hand, her sword in the other.

Kitsune stood up quickly from the baths and covered herself up with her towel. Motoko tired to discretely fumble around for her own sword which she didn't even bring with her in the first place. Her face turned to panic. Kitsune's did the same. "_Wow, she found out much sooner than I even thought she could,_" Kitsune thought to herself.

Motoko looked at her sister in fear. In her mind, she had hoped to not have this conversation ever. However, she also knew that it was inevitable. "_I'm tired of lying to her. Courage, Motoko._"

"Tsuruko? I should be honest with you," Motoko's words came out firm as she stood. Her voice didn't quiver, and whatever courage she had in her built up quickly. "You want me to find a husband. But, right now, I'm dating a woman. Kitsune."

Tsuruko looked over at Kitsune and back to Motoko. Her features lightened slightly. "You? And her?" she said, her face contorting. She felt her neck stiffen as a chill ran down her spine. She looked back and forth at the two. Motoko and Kitsune stood still, waiting for a response.

"_What have I done?_" Motoko asked herself. She glanced at Kitsune who was frozen solid. She wanted, desperately, to take back the entire thing. However, no desire of hers would be fulfilled. And the desire for her sister to accept this situation…

"No. I will not stand to have my sister, my family, be like this," Tsuruko said. Motoko feared the sword in Tsuruko's hands. She awaited the attack. "For you to ask to be given time to study for college, to train longer, for all the leniency I have given you. I will not accept this. I will not let my sister live like this.

"We let you do as you please. I have been very kind and understanding of you. Our parents have allowed you to do whatever you were willing and able to do. And now, for you to turn to this."

"But, Tsuruko-"

"Did you not understand me? No. I am thoroughly disappointed in you, Motoko. For your family to support you and for you to spit back at us. You're coming home with me and are never to see this sinful girl again." Tsuruko commanded. And, without her bath, she turned back inside the Hinata House.

The two women stood entirely still, both of their spirits absolutely destroyed.

- - -

_This is by far, one of my most favorite chapters. Sure, the foreshadowing at the beginning of the chapter made it very obvious what would happen. But, I wanted to show Naru and Keitaro have their little romantic moment changed entirely by the people around them. Throughout the series, the two of them had most of their relationship dictated by the other girls. It made the two of them seem like their friends were more important than their own happiness._

_For the Shinobu/Su story, a lot of that is very personal, as I think I've said before. It's more or less a fictional character's interaction in a world event that I've come to understand. Sure, not every day can you easily forgive your best friend like that. However, you know, at that point, that however happy they seem, they need more help than you can even imagine._

_As for the last part with Tsuruko, I didn't know how to make it more mean. I first wanted to make them happy. And, as happy as they were, to have it ripped from them in the same instant just made it feel horrible. The original plan was to draw it out, to make a chapter of them simply hiding it away and then having Tsuruko find out from Keitaro's stupidity. However, considering the Naru/Kei conversation at the beginning, that just seemed stupid. Also, it seemed much more horrible for the two girls in this scene than in a drawn out chapter version of it. I even feel bad that I wrote it . _

_SS_


	11. I:11: Secondary Exposure

Pink Camellias  
11 – Secondary Exposure  
SethSolare

- - -

Like the night before, Motoko and Kitsune sat in the dark room surrounded by swords, armor, and a futon in the middle of the floor. The door to the room was cracked open to allow a small sliver of moonlight to pass into the room. The two girls sat close together at the back wall of the room, staring at the doorway. Kitsune joined Motoko only twenty minutes ago. Motoko, however, had been sitting alone in the dark for nearly an hour.

Kitsune, fumbled around with her left hand trying to find Motoko's. Motoko's shorts left her legs exposed to Kitsune's warm hands. Feeling the girl's hands touching her body, Motoko felt a shock of energy blaze through her body with every tap and brush on her legs. She closed her eyes and laid her head down on Kitsune's left shoulder.

Kitsune stopped moving so much. Instead of trying to find Motoko's hand, she simply put a hand on her girlfriend's knee and stroked it gently. She laid her head down on Motoko's, breathing in the scent of her rose-petal hair. Motoko, taking her hand, reached up and brushed the back of her hand across the other's cheek.

Motoko fidgeted a bit, feeling her neck beginning to hurt. It was awkward being the taller girl and her head in that position. She lifted her head up and turned to slowly kiss the girl next to her. As soon as she felt her lips touch Kitsune's, she felt her throat tighten; her eyes stung. The closeness of their kiss, the touching of their faces, made a tear fall down from Motoko's eyes and drip down Kitsune's chin.

She released Kitsune's lips and crawled over to the futon, beckoning her partner over. As Kitsune came over, she pulled the blanket over the two of them as she cuddled up behind Motoko who was laying on her side, staring out the window. Kitsune wrapped an arm around Motoko, clutching her to her body.

"I don't want to miss you," Motoko whimpered as she stared out of her room.

"Neither do I. But this is what we've been given, you know? We have to work through it." Kitsune's fingers gently stroked Motoko's bare belly, which was exposed by Motoko's ruffled tank-top.

Motoko shifted slightly, squirming almost. "Stop that, it tickles," she said in a serious voice. Kitsune knew that she was ticklish there, but Motoko wanted no amount of laughter. She wanted to wallow.

"I should probably head to my own room, then," Kitsune said, moving the blanket aside. But as she did, Motoko took hold of Kitsune's hand, her eyes seemed to quiver in the dim light. Kitsune stared back at her, examining the hurt in the person next to her. She looked loving back at Motoko, while tucking herself back in underneath the blanket.

"Tsuruko wakes up at the exact same time every day. She's been doing it for years. I'll set my alarm for before then," Motoko said, grabbing the clock near her head. "She won't see us like this."

Motoko set the alarm for the next day. She laid back down, taking hold of Kitsune's hand. She wrapped it around her body while wishing she were shorter. "_She needs to be in front,_" she grumbled to herself.

After shifting around and blowing Motoko's long hair out of her mouth, Kitsune picked up her own body from the futon. She crawled over and around Motoko's slender body and nestled herself in front of Motoko, lying on her side. She then pulled Motoko's arm over her own stomach with a satisfied grin.

"You seemed uncomfortable being in front. Besides, I'm shorter," Kitsune said playfully.

Motoko couldn't help but giggle just a little bit. "You just refuse to feel like crap, don't you?" she asked, feeling a little teary-eyed.

"We're gonna be apart for a long time it seems. Might as well be together _and _happy now," Kitsune said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Motoko sighed and closed her eyes, running her fingers over Kitsune's stomach. She smiled to herself, happy for this last night with Kitsune. Her arm held on tightly as her fingers traced circles around Kitsune's navel. "_I just want to cuddle all night long. This is perfect._" Motoko felt at peace for the first time for the whole day.

After some silence, Motoko realized she didn't want to even sleep. She wanted to be awake, conscious for her happiness. "You know," she started, opening her eyes, "Tsuruko was always scary. When I was younger, she was violent and strict."

Kitsune nodded slightly, acknowledging that she was listening.

"When she got married, she softened up. She became happier with her life. She smiled more," Motoko said. "Sure, I was mad that she was leaving me behind. But, I admit I was also a bit jealous. I was a failure at the school and at my life in general. It's why I came here.

"When she returned home, one day, she told me that all she wanted from life was to be happy. She then said that she wanted me to find happiness for myself," Motoko shifted closer to Kitsune, pulling in the girl closer.

"Last time she was here, she told me to make a decision about school or anything like that. She told me I needed to stop being so wishy-washy about my life and just make a decision that made me happy.

"Now that I have," Motoko paused. She felt her tears well up behind her eyes. She wished that she would stop crying. She wished that, by this time, she would run out of tears. She continued to speak as the pillow the two girls laid on became wet. "Now that I have, she wants to take the one thing in this world that I have decided – that I _know – _makes me happy."

Kitsune smiled weakly. Her chest began tighten as gripped Motoko's hand that was originally on her stomach. Kitsune, for only the short amount of time they'd been in this relationship, was utterly happy. She knew that this is what she wanted.

"Motoko," she whispered. She turned her body around to face the other girl. "I don't want to miss you. And I don't want to have any regrets about any of this." Kitsune caressed Motoko's cheek lightly. "You know, without a doubt, that I love you, now."

Motoko nodded, tears dripping across her nose.

"And you need to stop crying," Kitsune said, wiping away Motoko's tears. "We're happy together. That's nothing to be sad about." She kissed Motoko softly. Smiling, she brought her forehead to touch Motoko's.

Motoko nodded again, using her own hands to wipe her tears. She looked through her tears into Kitsune's eyes. Her lips gently mouthed the words, "I love you." She waited for a few second before whispering the same words. She kissed Kitsune again, softly.

Kitsune closed her eyes after Motoko released her. "And, I love you," Kitsune said, her voice clearly audible.

They held onto each other as the night went on. Eventually, their eyes were compelled to close.

- -

On that Tuesday morning, Keitaro awoke in Naru's room seemingly alone. However, from around him, he heard soft footsteps, the shuffles of books and papers, and clothes rustling about. He took a turn about the room with eyes, seeing Naru tip-toe around, attempting to not make a sound. However, she was only in her underwear, fiddling around for a nice shirt or blouse in the closet.

Keitaro let out a grumble. "Geez, stop making all that noise. I'm sleepy," he said. He dropped his head back down on the pillow, throwing the blanket up over his head.

"ACK!" Naru yelled, quickly trying to cover herself up with her hands. "I knew I should've changed first," she said to herself.

Then, as if she had just made a realization, "Wait, you just saw me half-naked and all you can think about is sleeping?" she asked in an irritated tone.

From under the covers, Keitaro's muffled voice responded, "You know, you usually beat the crap out of me for seeing you like that."

"Well," she started, "we're in a relationship now." She became slightly more self-conscious and embarrassed as she carried on. "I mean, I guess you get to look sometimes. Not like, all the time. But, you know, not like, never. That's just mean to you, I guess. I can give you some eye-candy. But, like, that's just-" she cut off her rambling. She only realized by then that Keitaro really just wanted to sleep. She sighed and went back to looking for clothes to wear.

"You know what?" she asked after a finding a nice blouse and some jeans to go with it, "Not everyone gets to have an easy schedule. You don't even show up on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays, mister 'I'll take the easy schedule that cuts out two of the five days of classes.' You're lucky your major has all your classes on those days."

"I'm lucky indeed. Now, get dressed or you'll be late," he said, holding up a clock, his body still under the blankets.

"Fine, fine. Get rid of me. But, because you have no school today, _you _get to take me out for a lunch date. And I'm asking you out," she said walking over to him. "If you stand me up, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you." She smiled as she ripped the covers out of his clutching hands and kissed him on the lips.

Keitaro's eyes immediately widened, his cheeks were slightly red. "You're asking _me _out on a date?" he asked after she let go of the kiss.

"Yeah. Mutsumi noticed we didn't go out on dates and it made me feel all awkward. She's probably gone out on more dates this week than we have in a month," she began to walk out of her room with Keitaro still on the floor. "So don't keep me waiting, Kei."

Keitaro nodded, now fully awake, as she left. He stared out at whatever imaginary silhouette her figure left behind in his mind. However, after a few seconds, his vision became occupied by her glowing face again. "And make sure that Motoko and Kitsune are okay," she said, peeking her head back in the door before leaving again.

Naru ran toward the stairs to leave for school. As she reached the stairs though, Kitsune sat at the top step with a cup of coffee in her hand, another between her feet. She turned to look up Naru who had stopped behind the girl. Using a free hand, Kitsune took the cup of coffee and held it up to Naru.

"Figured you hadn't eaten anything yet," Kitsune said, her voice quiet.

Naru looked worried. Her voice expressed a similar feeling, "Are you alright?"

"No," Kitsune said simply, staring down at her mug.

"Haruka told me what happened when Keitaro and I came in last night," Naru's voice was calm, yet she felt herself grow incredibly anxious. She took a seat next to Kitsune on the same upper step. "Where's Motoko?"

"She woke up before me this morning. She left the house," Kitsune looked over at Naru. "She's not gone-gone. She just went out for a walk, left a note saying she'd be back later."

"That's weird for her." Naru could think of nothing else to say.

"Being in a lesbian relationship is weird for her. So, at this point, I'd say anything is just normal." Kitsune stared again at her mug of coffee.

Naru looked over her friend for a while. In her mind, she wanted to say, "It'll be alright." However, as she said the words in her head, she didn't believe herself. She sighed and, likewise, stared at her coffee.

"I'm probably taking up a lot of your time." Kitsune looked back at Naru. Naru, seemingly about to interject, was interrupted, "You'll be late. Go. Go to class or you're gonna have to come up with a good lie for being late."

Naru understood that this was simply Kitsune's code for, "I just want to be alone." Naru nodded and stood to leave, taking her cup of coffee with her. "_I'll just leave it in the kitchen._"

As she ran into the kitchen, Naru managed to bump into Tsuruko who, overall, seemed rather annoyed. Tsuruko snapped out of her weird mood when she saw Naru, putting on a smile for the girl.

"Have you seen my sister?" Tsuruko asked, her voice serene as ever.

"No. But I think Kitsune said Motoko went out somewhere." Naru wanted to leave the place, mostly because she was running late. Partly, though, she just didn't want to get into a fight.

"I see," Tsuruko smiled. She, then, walked past Naru and up the stairs to where Naru had come. Breathing a sigh of relief, Naru left the house.

- -

Kitsune rolled up the futon in Motoko's room. Around her, she noticed some of Motoko's clothes. Most of them were clean, as Motoko only had her laundry done the other day. However, Motoko, with everything that had happened over the past few days, hadn't once tried to organize them and put them away.

She looked around the room, surveying the work she had ahead of her. Shirts and skirts were littered about on the floor. Motoko's kendo clothes along with her everyday stuff were strewn about the room haphazardly.

"_She's gotten messier since she started studying,_" Kitsune said to herself. Sighing, she kneeled on the floor. She began folding some of the shirts and tank tops and organized them into piles. She smiled at herself, wishing that this was something she could do more often. She wanted to make this event a part of her daily life – taking care of someone.

"Where's my sister?" a voice asked. Kitsune's reverie was quickly broken by Tsuruko, who stood in the doorway. She turned to face the older woman.

"She said she was going out. She'll be back before lunch," was Kitsune's terse response.

"I see." Tsuruko looked over at Kitsune, examining her actions. "Make sure you find her suitcases and see that those clothes are folded nicely in them," she said bitingly. She, then, turned to leave Kitsune alone.

As she sat, Kitsune watched as Tsuruko walked away, cold and distant. In all the time that she had even known Tsuruko, she hadn't been quite as mean or unkind as she had become now. And, in a subconscious fit of desperation, Kitsune spoke.

"Don't you even love her?" Kitsune asked. "She's finally happy and you want to take that from her."

Tsuruko stopped. She turned back and walked into Motoko's room, standing free of anything that would hold her up. "I do. And I wish for her to become a respectable swordswoman as well as a respectable student. And, most of all, she will become the wife of a _man _of her family's choosing."

"Don't you think that's much too cold?" Kitsune responded, her voice soft.

"No. We have given her as much leniency as she ever wanted. But to degenerate into something like this is entirely unacceptable."

"Why?" Kitsune looked down at the pink tank top in her lap.

Tsuruko didn't move. She didn't seem to flinch at all as she spoke. "It's not acceptable."

"You keep saying that!" Kitsune yelled, her eyes darting toward the other woman. "You say that and yet you have no good reason _why_ it's not!"

"Our family is a traditional family. Not only are you a woman, but you are a disgrace. You lounge about, doing nothing. Your job is to sit around and bet on horses. You're lucky Haruka has given you something to do," Tsuruko's voice was agitated.

"Yeah, I am lucky. I'm lucky to have a friend like her that's giving me her teahouse so I can have a job. I'm also lucky to have a girlf-"

"Shut up," Tsuruko interrupted. "She cannot and will not love you. If I have anything to say about it-"

"You don't," Kitsune interrupted Tsuruko in turn. "You go on and on about how you want Motoko to be happy. You say you gave up everything for your happiness, and look where you are now. You're actually happy with your life. Motoko finds that you want to take that from her?"

Tsuruko didn't say a word.

"All the time, Motoko says she's grateful that she has a sister that looks out for her and wishes, with all of her heart, for her little sister to be happy. You said you want her to make a decision about her life, and she has. For the first time, she's made a decision that is hers and hers alone," Kitsune's voice was stern, but still calm.

"All you've done is given her ultimatums. 'Get married or come home.' 'Pass the entrance exams or go home.' And now, when she's done something that she _alone _decided on, you want to take her from it. And all you're going to do is make her miserable." Kitsune tilted her head down.

Kitsune continued her voice serene again. "She'll wish that her life would end. She'll resent every day that she couldn't be with the person she-" Kitsune stopped. She took in a deep breath, perhaps checking to see if she was really alive. "She wants to be with the person she loves."

Tsuruko flinched slightly at the words. She visibly shifted her weight to one leg. She swallowed, her brow furrowed. As much as she wanted to say anything to contrary, she couldn't.

Kitsune sniffed before speaking further. "She loves me. And I know I couldn't be without her for any longer. I don't know about her, but I'm pretty sure she feels the same way." She looked back up into Tsuruko's eyes, "Would you want to live the rest of your life without your husband? Do you not want to love him and be with him? Would you lightly accept being told that you and your husband, the man you _chose _to marry, should not be together?"

"No," Tsuruko responded in a whisper. She looked away from Kitsune.

"I couldn't either. And if you can't, then Motoko surely could never do it," Kitsune said solemnly. Kitsune's mind trailed off for a second into another thought. That thought, however, managed to escape her mind.

"You know, she was with a guy, before she told me she wanted to be with me. He, in fact, told her to stop making herself miserable with denial and just accept the fact that she loves someone. I was surprised that she'd rather make herself miserable than admit that she could actually be happy with me."

Tsuruko looked back at Kitsune, interested. She shifted her weight to her other leg.

"You know, I realize in this situation, why she gave up so easily," she said. "She gave up because she didn't want to be a disappointment to her family. She'd rather be miserable than be happy, though a disappointment to her family. And even if she didn't want to, she'd rather miserable, than not be a disappointment to me."

Tsuruko, hearing her say this, slowly sank to the floor. She sat down, staring at the polished wood and the scattered clothes. She looked about the room, seeing the numerous artifacts of warrior Japan as well as books and study materials for Tokyo U.

"I don't want to be a disappointment to my family, either." Tsuruko looked over at Kitsune and stared at the girl. She moved over to Kitsune and took the girl's hand. "I guess I should ask you to take good care of my sister."

"I already do," Kitsune said in a whisper.

"And I'm sorry for being harsh with you." Tsuruko bowed slightly before Kitsune. She smiled, genuinely, at the silvery haired girl.

"So, you're okay with us?"

"I'm not saying I full understand why she would choose a woman. However, I can accept that she is, indeed, happy. Regardless of why she's happy, as long as she is, I'm okay with that. And I refuse to be a disappointment to her," Tsuruko said. After some silence, Tsuruko breathed in deeply, "So tell me how long you two have been together?"

"Well, we've only been together since Sunday. However, this thing has been developing for nearly 2 or 3 years. I can't remember much anymore," Kitsune responded happily.

"That long? How's that?" Tsuruko asked.

"We kissed once, when both of us were really depressed, we kind of crumbled in front of each other and both let our guards down. I guess, we just sorta found comfort in each other," Kitsune shrugged.

"I see," Tsuruko said, picking up a shirt off the floor. She, too, began folding clothes.

- -

By late morning, Keitaro had already been frantically putting clothes on, deciding what to wear to his lunch date with Naru. It had been a long while since they had even been on a date, and he'd always been the one to ask. And for the date he'd never had to ask for, he was late.

Keitaro darted out past the old playground. He smiled as he ran past it, thinking about his old childhood promise. It'd been so long since he'd even thought about the promise. And so many memories came from the old playground. But as he ran past, he saw a familiar figure, sitting sadly on the swings.

"_She'd kill me for being late,_" he told himself. But, part of him knew that Naru would understand if it meant she'd understand that he had to do the right thing. He stopped running, and walked over to the swing set.

He approached the girl who sat alone. He took up a place next to her on the swings. "So, Haruka told me what happened. Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Motoko nodded, turning to face him with tears in her eyes.

- - -

_It ends sadly, but at least it's all finally happy. I have one final issue I want to deal with before I close this story. More than likely, chapter 12 is the final chapter. But, who knows? I might extend it to more things. The Keisuke thing was definitely interesting. Yumihiko was interesting. I mean, I have no idea what I might or might not do._

_So, I have to say that the opening scene of this chapter is definitely one of my favorites. It's so calm and serene in such a sad way. I like the fact that I've modeled Kitsune to be the one who's emotionally strong and far more girly than Motoko. In heterosexual relationships, it's considered that the man is the rock, the emotional support. In this relationship, the more feminine of the two is the one that holds them together when they're about to break. And, in the reality of it, women are usually the ones that bring up the men in relationships from falling. _

_Though it's a lesbian relationship, that's something I really wanted to show. Men aren't as tough as we seem. Without the strong, emotional support of women, we're pretty lacking. Women are, then, the internal protectors of the relationship. Men are the physical protectors, the guardians of the relationship from the outside. Sure, I didn't portray that in Motoko, but she's not a man, is she? P_

_Without one part, the other is weak. And the whole is only strong when the pieces match up. _

_Anyway, that's about as deep as I'm gonna get for this chapter._

_SS_


	12. I:12: Resistance

_I spent forever trying to get this posted to the site. It kept erroring for whatever reason. So, after a few days, it started working. Rawr. This chapter was completed like... days ago, though. _

_There's a nice surprise at the end of this. I know you're just burning with anticipation. Also, this chapter's a bit more adult. Again, even with its rating, I'm sure by now that those who're still reading are mature enough to handle it. I mean, those were _girls _kissing back there._

_And by the way, in the opening scenes where I mention the merry-go-round (I'm writing this note as it has just happened), I spent nearly an HOUR trying to figure out what the hell it was called. I was about to say screw it and say, "the metal thing with the bars and it spins and __stuff." Oh yeah, and I was kidding about the quote. But it would be awesome if I did it._

- - -

Pink Camellias  
12 – Resistance  
SethSolare

- - -

"I don't get it. I just want to be happy," Motoko sighed. She pushed herself forward on the swings, staring at the sand pile she made between her feet. Her hands descended from the chains and into her lap. Slowly, she took in a deep breath and sighed again.

Keitaro, after listening to her talk about without his saying a word, felt absolutely useless. Countless times he had helped the girls with whatever problem they had. However, his love life wasn't all roses, too. He and Naru fought their fair share, aside from the normal punching, kicking, and flying. However, to have to be breaking up over something like family was hard. "_Motoko's pretty much made her decision._"

"I'm sorry, Keitaro. This is probably too much work for even you to handle," Motoko said sadly as she stood up. Her voice broke a bit, her eyes stung, her cheeks flushed. She began to walk off.

"You should tell your sister you're not leaving," Keitaro said solemnly. "Just say it."

"But, it's not that simple," Motoko responded, her spirit defeated.

"No, it's simple. It's just not easy." Keitaro stood from his swing and walked over to her. Motoko sat down on the merry-go-round in the center of the playground. She sank her feet into the depressed area of sand where children ran in circles. Keitaro sat on the opposite side, facing inward to the circle and to Motoko's back. He leaned his back on one of the bars and sat quietly.

After some silence, Motoko spun the thing around with her legs, tucking her long skirt under them. While spinning around, she turned around on the merry-go-round doing as Keitaro did, leaning back on one of the metal bars. The two faced each other as it spun slowly down to a stop.

"You're right," Motoko said, after some time.

"Yeah. Life's never easy. It's almost always simple, though. I mean, the more complex things are a divorce when kids are involved. That's complex, I'd say. However, in the aspect of life, simple and complex are totally different than easy and hard. I mean, telling Naru that I love her is simple. Actually doing it?" Keitaro shrugged. He admitted that it was just far too difficult to even admit to anyone that he loved that girl for the longest time.

"You know, last night, I told Kitsune that I loved her," Motoko said matter-of-factly.

"You did? Wow, that's pretty amazing," Keitaro said excitedly.

Motoko sighed, "I don't even know if I believe myself, though."

"Wait, what?" Keitaro asked in disbelief.

"Part of me thinks that I just said that because I was sad I was losing my first love. I mean, I don't even know if I really love her," Motoko said, sniffing.

"But she loves you. She'd do anything to make you happy," Keitaro reasoned.

"I know. I know. But, we've only been dating for a few days. And we admitted we loved each other. You and Naru took months to develop that. I just don't want to rush anything."

"Well, okay, maybe a few more things in life are complex. But, as complex as that is, it's at least an easy thing. Just hold off on making an honest commitment," Keitaro said.

"What? That's a horrible idea. Do you mean I should just lie to her and string her along for a few days, weeks, or months until I make up my mind? Don't you think that's cruel?" Motoko asked, her voice beginning to break again.

Keitaro thought about it how that was basically the description of Naru and his relationship. "_Sure, in the end we were together. But, I guess we were just lucky_," he told himself. He reached further into his mind for a better solution.

"Or, you could just say that you're not sure – that you need more time." Keitaro couldn't think of a better solution for her. He felt then, at the point, he was just making stuff up to make her feel better.

Motoko sighed. She tilted her head up to the sky, hoping for some kind of divine intervention. Her mind was nearly ready to tune out the world until the sound of a familiar voice came fading back into her conscious mind. She looked over at Keitaro who had a worried look on his face.

"Hey, uh, I know it's kind of bad of me, but I have to go, Motoko. I wish I could help more, but I guess I'm just sorry," he bowed to her. He began to run off after Naru who had finally found her missing date. Motoko's shoulders dropped, suddenly feeling bad that she had caused the two to miss out on their date.

"_I'll just tell her that I made him late,_" she said in head. Again, she tilted her head back up to the sky her eyes closed. After a few seconds, she opened them again. But, instead of a sky, another familiar person had come into view, staring down at her.

"You look down," he said. "Well, you're looking up, but you look sad."

She rolled her eyes, as she turned around from her seat and faced the young man who had greeted her. "That was a really terrible joke, Yumi."

- -

Shinobu walked calmly through the market. With a peaceful smile, she walked through the crowded streets and looked for all kinds of fresh foods for dinner. On her arm, she carried a wicker basket. She felt old going to the market with a basket that looked like that, but it was useful and served its purpose.

She felt renewed after resolving any tension with Su. Su cried for nearly half an hour. Oddly enough, the blonde haired girl seemed pretty mellow again after all of that. Shinobu, while picking up some bananas, felt oddly happy about that.

As her hand reached for the ripe bunch, they were picked up by another person. She felt slightly surprised, since her mind was elsewhere. She snapped back into the real world to see someone she didn't expect to see. Her heart raced. A chill ran down her spine.

"So, you didn't want to see me, and yet here you are," Keisuke said to her.

"How'd you even find me?" her voice was angry.

"Oh come on, you always talk about how you love to go to the market. You always go at the same time. And, I also know that you always buy bananas when you used to take me shopping with you," he said slyly. He reached into his pocket and paid the vendor for the bananas. Shinobu rolled her eyes as she tried to simply walk away from him. After receiving his change, Keisuke raced up to her, dropping the bananas in the basket she carried at her side.

"You don't have to be so cold," he said, trying to be cute.

"You're a jerk, you know that? You're a cheat. And you're scum," she objected.

He shrugged, looking over at her with a smile. "You know, I've never been that bad of a guy. Besides, it was just a kiss."

"You know, if you'd been more sincere, I'd be inclined to forgive you. But, instead, you decided to be smug," she picked up her pace, trying to simply walk through the crowd. However, he simply kept pace with her.

"You know I'm not horrible. You trusted me. You _know _I'm probably one of the best guys around," his tone was different. He seemed to act like he cared.

"Yeah, way to put yourself up on a pedestal. I feel so sorry I broke up with you," she said sarcastically.

"Really? Then how about this?" he said, stepping in front of her path. She immediately halted. He was much taller than her and far more intimidating. Her heart began to beat incredibly fast. Her breath quickened and stuttered.

"What do you want?" she asked, trying to get more aggressive.

"I know you miss me. And we could just go back to my place and do, well, what we did last time," he suggested. He looked at her seductively. He was, indeed, an attractive guy by any means. And, when they were dating, such a seductive look had cost her more than just making out.

"You have some nerve," she said. She felt her body quiver in what felt like fear and anger. "You're asking me if I want to have sex with you after you cheated on me? You're an ass," she said turning the other way.

"You said that last time. And I remember you asking if we could meet up again later that night," he said. He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. She barely resisted him.

"I know that _I _want to be with you," he said. Those words, unlike the others, felt sincere to Shinobu. She looked up at him with a look of pain and disbelief. For the months that they were together, she was happy. Emotionally, the relationship was moving along nicely. Physically, it was a bit fast. However, to Shinobu, that really meant absolutely nothing.

"You cheated," she said, her voice barely audible above the crowd. She tried to sound mean and hateful. Instead, she was fearful. She knew that if she didn't get away, she'd give into him. "_It's how why I did it with him the first time._"

"Look, let's just go back to my place and we can talk. _Just _talk," he said convincingly. He pulled her in close to him, kissing her on the forehead. Shinobu, as much as she tried to resist, couldn't push herself away from him. Her blood seemed to go cold. Her legs began to feel much weaker. And whatever strength she had that made her want to run was rapidly vanishing.

"It's not just gonna be talking, Keisuke. You took advantage of me last time," Shinobu said.

"Yeah it will. You can trust me," he said. "I love you, Shinobu."

The words quickly snapped her back into reality. She picked her head up as her eyes drilled into his. Her chills came back again. This time, though, her legs felt strong, her spirit felt renewed. She heard the basket in her hand drop to the ground. And, at the same moment, a large thud accompanied it.

It was only after the sounds that she noticed that her fist was clenched. Keisuke took hold of his jaw, as a red mark appeared there. A cut on his lower lip began to drip with blood. Regaining his bearings, he looked at Shinobu in disbelief. She looked back in anger.

"I never want to see you again. You're the worst person I've ever known. You're weak. You're pathetic. You're scum. You don't deserve me, you worthless piece of trash. You don't deserve anyone. I will never see you again."

Shinobu picked up her basket, and walked away. The crowd watched in amazement and seemed to make way for the girl.

Shinobu smiled to herself the whole way home.

- -

Motoko waited by a lamp post as Yumihiko paid for the ice cream. She felt slightly uncomfortable even accepting this from him, but he so easily persuaded her. He returned to her with her cup of chocolate with fudge pieces. He smiled as he ate from his cone of chocolate chip ice cream.

"What?" she asked, looking over at him after a second bite.

"You're eating ice cream with a cup and spoon. It's so much better in a cone," he said.

"I've never liked cones. They have that weird waffle-grate thing at the bottom that _never _has any ice cream in it and it's just all wafer. It's kinda gross," she said between bites.

"If you get a waffle cone, they don't put that wafer stuff at the bottom." Yumihiko smiled as he ate his own ice cream.

"Well, yeah, but then it drips through the little opening at the bottom," she began to smile. She resisted the temptation to smile, trying to put on her air of feeling like crap, but it didn't work. Yumihiko laughed as a ridiculous, suppressed smile crept across her face.

"See? I told you this would make you feel better."

"Stop it," she couldn't help but smile now.

"So why don't you tell me what's wrong? I mean, now that you're smiling, it's not all bad anymore."

Motoko sighed as she scooped a huge chunk of ice cream into her mouth. After having sufficiently downing as much she could of that bite, she began to talk. "I've been told that I need to leave Hinata."

"By who?" he asked.

"My sister," she sighed. "She apparently has a problem with Kitsune being a girl. If she was a guy, then Tsuruko would be more than happy that I probably snagged me man and some schooling all at once."

"Your family's really traditional when it comes to marriages and stuff, I guess," he said.

"My sister married when she was, like, 18 or 16 or something. I can't remember exactly. But she was really young. I mean, it's like we're back in ancient Japan or something," she said, trying to make herself feel better. She admitted to herself, though, that she still appreciated part of that life.

"Was it an arranged marriage or something?" he asked. He was about halfway done with his ice cream cone and he part of it began to dribble down through the bottom of this cone.

"No, actually. She was probably 18, now that I think about it. I mean, she does actually love him and she chose to marry him. I guess picking who you want to be with only means something if it's a guy," she said, as she took the last bite of her ice cream. She looked over at Yumihiko who was still only partially finished. She felt a little embarrassed that she finished before him, so she didn't want to throw away the cup. She figured she'd just keep scraping away at the melted pools ice cream at the bottom.

They walked in silence. Yumihiko didn't say much as he finished what was left of ice cream. They didn't have any intended destination, they just simply walked. After a few minutes of aimless, silent walking, Motoko suddenly couldn't take the silence anymore.

"I bet if things had worked out between you and me, I wouldn't have to leave Hinata," she said nervously. After she said that, though, she felt a feeling of stupidity wash over instead. "_Oh, yeah, good job, Motoko. Remind him that you're entirely off limits even though he still probably…_" her mental voice trailed off.

"Nah, your sister would probably find something wrong with me. I'm not strong enough or I didn't take kendo or something," he laughed nervously. Yumihiko slowly looked over at Motoko as she came to a stop. She stopped in front of where he found her, the old playground.

"Am I doomed to be alone forever?" she asked. She didn't care who answered that question; she wanted it answered.

Yumihiko turned his body to hers, looking directly into her eyes. "You won't be alone forever," he said with a smile, his voice calm. He sounded so peaceful, so sure. Part of Motoko felt his energy, his emotion, transfer to her. She smiled back at him.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, still feeling unconvinced.

"You're such a smart and sweet girl, Motoko. No one could ever pass that up. Not only that, you're such a strong person. You're a role model for most girls. You're respectable, you're honest, and yet, you still have that sweet, emotional, womanly side to you. The part of you that can still fall in love," he said.

Motoko's smile faded. She felt sad at his words. She felt like a liar. She felt like she was betraying Kitsune by simply letting him say these things about her. She wished, with all of her heart, that Kitsune would come there and say those exact same things to her. Instead, though, it was someone else. Someone else was telling her why anyone would love her.

She inched forward into Yumihiko's body. She wrapped her arms around his back as she pulled him in closer. Yumihiko, who felt slightly taken aback by this, didn't fight at all with her. He simply let her come as close she wanted to. She walked into him, now holding him close to her body. She placed her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

In his arms, she was lost. Her body seemed to float. However, she didn't want to be happy. She wanted to feel miserable with him. But, as that floating feeling grew, her desire to feel horrible floated away as well. She ignored whatever feeling of dislike for this was growing.

But, as her mind floated away, she thought back to the night before. She remembered how she held onto Kitsune. She remembered how happy she was with her. She thought back to Kitsune's warm touch and her gentle kiss. She wanted that at that moment.

She replayed the words that Yumihiko said in her head. But even as they replayed, she could only hear Kitsune's voice saying them. She desired to have that woman in her arms and tell her all those things. She wanted Kitsune to say over and over again that she loved her.

Then, Yumihiko's gentle touch pulled her even closer. Her held onto her like he did after their date a few days ago. And this act, his pulling her in, slowly brought her back to conscious thought.

However, something else, something more startling brought her back much faster. She felt Yumihiko's hands drop away. She opened her eyes, backing away from him. A look of horror crossed her face as she realized what she had just been doing. And, then, she turned toward the sidewalk. As if through some kind of spiritual connection, she knew what she would find there.

"And here I thought I'd go out and find you to tell you I convinced Tsuruko to let you stay. Silly of me for caring, right? I mean, it's not like I matter or anything." Kitsune looked at the two, her jaw quivering. She swallowed hard before running away from there as fast as she could, turning away before her tears could be seen by Motoko.

Motoko stood for only half a second in disbelief at herself. Then she quickly turned to Yumihiko. "I'm sorry I did this to you, but I know I love her, now," she said as she ran off in pursuit of Kitsune.

- - -

_I pulled an all-nighter for this one. I decided I didn't want to end the story just yet. I had a burning desire to put a cap on the whole Keisuke thing. The ending from before seemed far too open ended and I just didn't want to leave it like that. Plus, throughout the entire series of Love Hina, Shinobu didn't show a satisfactory change of character. I mean, even Su became a cutesy girly-girl at some point in the series, in contrast to her crazy self. (If you don't remember, think back to when she went on a date with Keitaro). I think the only one that gets an excuse for that is Sarah, and that's because she's just a kid and is a really minor character. Shinobu, on the other hand, was basically a flake for the entire series. (No offense to everyone that loves her, because I know we all do. P ) It kinda made me sad that she didn't get to be all crazy or mad or anything. The most she did was only during the anime and that was about the kissing episode. Also, it just kinda made me happy to write that._

_As for Motoko and Kitsune, I feel like I didn't do enough for them. I feel like I'd be ending it prematurely if I wrote the original ending which was that Motoko came home and it was all happy. Yumihiko being left out in the original ending seemed too open ended as well. This revision closed that door and brought a better meaning to the way I'm planning to end this fic._

_Or maybe I'll pull another crazy thing and keep it going. . _

_SS_


	13. I:13: More or Less Forgiving

_Welcome to the 13th chapter of this story. P I am highly happy to say that this will not be the last chapter. So, don't get your hopes up about something happy going on. You know how it is._

_Also, as an apology ahead of time, because I KNOW I'm going to use it, the mascara thing I know I've already done (See 09 – Uncontrolled) but it's such a great image that I think it deserves to be used a second time. _

- - -

Pink Camellias  
13 – More or Less Forgiving  
SethSolare

- - -

After finally landing in Hinata Park, Keitaro managed to finally make it back to the teahouse. His mind wandered to Naru. He hoped, at the very least, that Naru wouldn't spend her time being mad and not make it for her afternoon class. He also hoped, though, that Haruka hadn't run out of bandages.

As he entered, he called for his aunt. No answer came. After a few seconds, he called Haruka's name again, stepped further into the teahouse. He glanced around at all the empty tables. He turned toward the kitchen and moved toward the doorway. When he entered, he saw a woman hunched over the sink, staring out of the window at the late afternoon sky that sat over the trees.

"Kitsune?" he asked her.

The silvery haired girl turned toward Keitaro, wiping the side of her cheek as she faced him. "She went out for a bit. Haruka, I mean. She asked me to watch the place."

Noting her obviously troubled state, Keitaro smiled. "Well, I think it'd be better if you could hear your customers," he said, grabbing a napkin from the counter. He handed one to her. She pushed his hand aside and wiped away what she could of her dripping mascara with her hands. Keitaro propped himself up with hand on the counter, crumpling the napkin. "You look like you were all dressed up for something."

Kitsune was wearing a very fit, blue blouse that hung slightly below the waist of her light-brown slacks. She looked remarkably cute in men's clothes, except for the shoes. Her open-toe shoes showed off her neatly painted, red toenails that matched her fingers. However nice her clothes were, though, her make-up was already ruined. "It's nothing, Keitaro."

Keitaro, puzzled, looked up at her. "Nothing?" he paused slightly before continuing. "Is 'nothing' crying in Haruka's kitchen looking like that?" he asked rhetorically.

"Just shut up, Keitaro," she responded, turning back toward the sink. She sniffed a little resting her hands on the edge of the sink and leaned on them. "Just go back home."

"Oh come on," he started again. "Don't you think it's bad to just sit here and wallow? Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Yeah, sure. I think you'd have a great amount of wisdom when it comes to lesbian relationships, Keitaro," she said sarcastically. She looked up, again, at the sky through the window.

Keitaro felt a bit disheartened. He figured a relationship was a relationship, whether lesbian or not. However, he knew Kitsune well enough to let Naru handle that girl's problems. She was far better at it and had the whole girl thing going on.

"I think Motoko's just afraid of you," he said before he turned to walk away. He began walking toward the exit of the kitchen. As soon as he pulled aside the curtain, though, he felt Kitsune tugging on the upper back of his shirt. She grabbed as much of it as she could, clutching balls of the cloth in her hand. Her head rested on his back, as he came to a stop at the exit. He could immediately feel a spot of water form on his shirt.

"I was going out to tell her that she didn't have to leave," she began through whimpers. "And I found her at the playground kissing Yumi."

Keitaro turned around as Kitsune released her grip on the shirt. "Something tells me it wasn't something that she wanted to do."

Kitsune looked up at him, puzzled.

"She spent a good part of her afternoon telling me how she wants to love you. She just doesn't seem to know how to do that. She might be struggling with just love in general. I don't think it has anything to do with you being a girl, Kitsune," he said.

"Really, it's probably just that she's never had that mutual thing before. She's afraid that if she puts too much into this, and you being her first love, she could really crash and burn. She's unsure about love. She doesn't want to get hurt from this. And, right now, she's just too afraid to admit with absolute certainty that she really does love you," Keitaro said, giving the girl a soft hug. He felt her continue to silently cry into him.

"Also, I think you should be the one comforting her."

Kitsune gave him another quizzical look.

"Considering the fact that she did what she did, she probably thinks she just lost you," he said, staring into Kitsune's eyes. "And I know that's not true. Right?" he asked. Kitsune slinked off of Keitaro, trudging out of the kitchen and into the main room of the teahouse.

Kitsune stopped at the exit to the building. Keitaro stood at the door to the kitchen. She turned toward him, trying to hide her face. "You can do the bandages by yourself right? They're in the second cabinet."

Keitaro nodded before disappearing back into the kitchen.

- -

Shinobu finally made it home. She had been wandering the town aimlessly, pondering what she did. Walking from store to store, Shinobu had no idea what she was doing. In her head, she repeated the words that she yelled to Keisuke, words that she could so easily recall.

"_I never want to see you again. You're the worst person I've ever known. You're weak. You're pathetic. You're scum. You don't deserve me, you worthless piece of trash. You don't deserve anyone. I will never see you again._"

She sighed, standing at the entry way to the dormitory. She looked down at the half-empty wicker basket of groceries in her hand. "_It's almost pathetic, really,_" she said to herself. Sliding the door open, Shinobu walked inside the house, removing her shoes with her feet. She slid them to the edge of the depression in the floor next to the myriad of shoes at the entrance. For each girl in the house, at least 2 pairs of shoes usually filled the entrance way. Keitaro's only pair, she noticed, was not there. The other girls' shoes, except for Motoko and Su, also were gone. Naru, of course, was at class, and Kitsune could more than likely be working. Su was prone to walking outside barefoot anyway.

"_Motoko's probably got problems of her own,_" she thought. As she noticed Tsuruko's footwear, she contemplated the idea. However, considering recent events, she decided against it.

She stepped into the lobby area of the dormitory heading toward the kitchen. She slid open the door placing the basket on the center island of the kitchen. She did as usually did, washing her hands, starting the rice, heating the oil, and washing the vegetables. It felt normal, to her. "_It's like nothing's wrong at all_," she said to herself.

She took the knife from the block, starting to chop the vegetables for the evening's dinner. "_There's still the chicken to sear,_" she reminded herself. She put down the knife and removed the package from the basket. It was wrapped in butcher's paper, folded and sealed up with tape that had printed instructions on how to properly cook the chicken. Unwrapping it, she carefully put it in the hot, oiled pan and turned back toward the vegetables.

"Thought I'd help," said Su, who was already happily chopping away. Shinobu watched as her friend, with the same efficiency as herself, did what she could do. Her eyebrows furrowed at the blonde into somewhat of an exasperated, worried look.

"You're awfully, quiet, Shinobu," Su remarked. She barely flinched, watching what she was doing. She pushed aside the already cut food, separating each individual food into its own region on the chopping board.

After she was finished, she turned toward Shinobu. The dark-haired girl simply stared back, completely lost in thought. She tilted her head in a quizzical manner, looking at her, waiting for a response. Walking over to Shinobu, she waved a hand in front of her eyes, which brought the other back to realization.

Su laughed a bit. "You're absolutely out of it," she said.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit tired," Shinobu apologized, noticing that the work she started at the cutting board was now complete. "You look like you actually learned something from me," she smiled.

"Yeah," Su giggled. "I can cut this stuff straight now. Though, I think the carrot triangles, rectangles, and weird shapes I used to make were far more entertaining."

Shinobu's expression softened. She felt like crying, but nothing really came of it. She leaned back against the counter staring down at the floor. She looked back up at Su who was happily cooking dinner. "_It's like nothing ever happened_," she thought.

Su, after putting all the vegetables in the pan, looked over at the quiet girl in the corner. "You know, you're just being entirely too quiet – even for you," she said. "That means you either lost your voice or something bad has happened. And since you responded to me earlier, I'm guessing something bad happened. And your hair looks terrible."

Shinobu's looked up at her friend, her eyes slightly red. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to straighten up whatever mess was on her head. She didn't even want to think about what she said.

"Shinobu," Su started, now concerned, "What's wrong?"

She moved over to Su, taking hold of her. She pulled herself into Shinobu's body trying to cling to her as tight as she could. She tried to force herself to cry, tried to force herself to sound like crying. It didn't happen.

"I saw Keisuke, today," she whispered.

"What happened there?" Su tried to pull the girl off of her so she could look at her face.

"I said some horrible things. I told him that he's just useless. He's worthless. He's weak without someone," she continued. She pushed her body off of Su. "And as I walked away, I realized that I should be saying that to myself. I mean, every time he invited me to his house, we'd just-" she stopped.

"He what?" Su asked.

"We'd go to his room and, well, you know," she said, embarrassed.

"Really?" Su asked, slightly interested.

"Don't say it like that!" Shinobu yelled. "I mean, it just makes me feel… dirty." She whispered the last word, wishing that she didn't believe it herself.

"I fed off of his want for me. I kept trying to find happiness in his fake love for me. I mean, I tried to get with Keitaro, and that didn't do anything. And after that, I just wanted to be with someone," Shinobu whimpered.

"Don't say that, Shinobu. You're just-" Shinobu lifted her head up quickly at Su. She looked at her with a scared face.

"I told him I loved him, we did all of that, and he didn't even care. I'm worse than Kitsune a few years ago. And you only let guys grope you. I'm just a horrible woman. I'm just terrible," she said. She backed away, slowly, from Su. "I'm just weak."

"Well, I don't let just any guy grope me," Su said, trying to lighten her up. Seeing that that didn't work, "In any case, don't you think you're just being too hard on yourself? You thought what you were doing was right and good. You knew what you wanted. And it's his fault for being a liar."

"I didn't see that he was lying. It was obvious he was lying," Shinobu continued in a whisper.

"Shinobu," Su said, moving toward the girl. She pulled her close, hugging her, "Shinobu, I fell for his little deal. I mean, he's just a really good liar. I mean, he got me to make out with him before. And, then, he did it again when he was with you. He's good at manipulating people. And, one day, it's going to come back and bite him."

"So that's it? 'Sorry, that's just how it is. Learn to live with it?'" Shinobu asked. She was exasperated. She didn't want to continue talking about him. She grabbed a spatula from a drawer, and started moving the vegetables about in the pan rather meekly. Sighing, she put it down softly, and looked down at the pan. "Sorry for yelling at you," she said, her back turned to Su.

"You're allowed to," she responded, coming up behind the other girl, hugging her. "We'll work this out. Some day, you'll realize, you'll be glad this happened. You'll be happy with some other guy knowing that all the crap you've been though was worth that."

Shinobu nodded.

"Look at Motoko. She put up with all of her own depression and self-pity and is now, happily with Kitsune," she said. "Oh! And Kitsune managed to talk to Tsuruko today. It was pretty amazing. I heard the entire thing from that secret passageway we found two years ago," she said. She continued on about her eavesdropping on the conversation she heard this morning.

- -

Motoko slipped on an oversized t-shirt before leaving the bath. Her shorts were barely seen past the edge of her top. She then wrapped her hair in her towel. After having been rebuffed by Kitsune after almost making out with Yumihiko in the park, Motoko didn't feel like doing anything at all that night. She simply soaked alone in the bath for nearly an hour and a half.

"_What the hell was I thinking? Yumi? Sure, we dated, but I'm not dating him. And Kitsune's far more important. She thinks I don't care about her, anymore,_" she told herself. Motoko stood in the corner of the changing room next to the bath. She wrapped her arms around her body, trying to comfort herself.

"_I need to take it all back. I lo-_" she stopped herself from saying the rest of the words. She was afraid to admit them, now. Even though she said the same thing a few times before, she was no longer sure if she meant it.

Motoko slinked down to a sitting position on the floor. Pulling up her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs. The room was slightly dim; Keitaro kept forgetting to change one of the broken bulbs in the room. Motoko, however, felt it was rather appropriate. She stared at one of the two fixtures in the room not emanating light.

"_Maybe I just want to be with her because I think it's just strange to be with a girl. Maybe I don't love her,_" she thought.

However, to her right, the door leading to the house slid open. Slowly, Kitsune stepped though. She didn't exactly look happy or sad. She looked, simply, normal. And with her normal look, she glanced at the person on the floor. Motoko looked back up at Kitsune. In silence, Kitsune sat on top of one of the tables, her feet hanging over the edge. Kitsune stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry," were the first words Motoko could even think of saying. She felt the words were useless.

Without looking up, Kitsune responded, "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. It was wrong of me to jump to conclusions like that." Kitsune didn't honestly believe her words. She knew what she had to do. And to do that, she had to at least make peace and forgive her girlfriend.

"Don't be sorry. You've been nothing but good to me and I screwed it up. I don't even know why you want to be with someone like me," she whispered.

"Don't say that. I want to be with you because I love you." Kitsune looked over at Motoko. She stood from the table and walked toward Motoko. Offering her a hand, she helped her up. Kitsune pulled Motoko close to her body. She held her as close as she could and looked over Motoko's face.

"I don't know what I'm doing. Tsuruko told me what you said. I should be happy and yet, I feel like I've destroyed whatever we had already," Motoko said, her forehead coming into contact with Kitsune's.

"If you just want me to say that I forgive you for almost kissing Yumi, I do. I honestly forgive you for that. That doesn't mean a thing to me," Kitsune assured. Motoko sniffed, stifling her desire to cry. She tried to force a smile through a mouthed "thank you."

"But there is something that does matter," Kitsune continued. Motoko opened her eyes and looked into Kitsune's.

"What do you mean?" Motoko asked.

"I need to know what you feel about me. I've admitted several times that I love you. If anyone asked me if I had someone, I would, without a doubt, say that I am dating a wonderful girl named Motoko." Kitsune sighed, not moving from her position, their heads touching each other. "I know you're unsure, Motoko."

"What?" Motoko asked, she pulled away from Kitsune. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not sure if you feel the same way that I do." Kitsune moved closer to Motoko who was now backed up against a wall. Kitsune continued, "I need you to figure that out. I want this to be something special. And if we can't commit to each other, then this is just not going to work."

Motoko nodded silently, meekly.

"So I'm giving you until Friday. You have until then to just tell me if you want this to mean something. Three days is more than enough time to figure out if you love me or not. You already know you want to. All there is now is to simply do it or don't."

"Don't make it sound like that," Motoko whispered.

"Sorry," Kitsune said, wrapping her arms around Motoko. "But I have to know. I love you. And I need to know if we can be happy. I don't want to wait the rest of my life for someone to sweep me off my feet again. I love you, now. And I need to know if you do, too."

Motoko nodded. "I'm being unfair to you. I'm horrible."

"No you're not," Kitsune assured her. "Even if after three days you figure out you don't love me, I'll still love you. I'll always be your friend. That never changes." Kitsune tilted Motoko's head up, letting her look her in the eyes.

"I'll always love you, as corny as that sounds," Kitsune giggled a bit, trying to put a smile on Motoko's face. "Always."

Kitsune pulled Motoko closer to her, their lips drew together. Kitsune kissed Motoko, letting their tongues play with each other. She was happy like this. She wanted more, but at that moment, that would do. It would hold her over.

"_I hope this isn't the last one,_" she thought as the two girls kissed in the laundry room. "_Please don't let this be the last one._"

- -

Keitaro sat alone in the dark of his room. He sighed, looking out his window. He'd pissed Naru off yet again, and he'd be alone this night. No late night cuddling, talking, or kissing. "_I can't even do nice things for people and she'd take it easy on me_."

Of course, he knew that her threshold for forgiveness was definitely in his favor. Since they started dating, she did at least try to be a bit nicer. "_Maybe she'll do something cute and say she's sorry_."

And, on cue, a knock came from the board covering the hole in his room. The board moved away and Naru's Liddo-kun popped down through the hole. "So are you going to apologize to me?" came a voice from above.

Keitaro slinked down into his futon. "_Guess I lose this one,_" he laughed at himself. "Sorry for being late. But Motoko had something that was really bugging her," he said.

Naru popped her head through the opening. "I know. Haruka told me that Kitsune commandeered the teahouse for a while. I just put two and two together and all," she said.

"Couldn't you have at least put it together before jumping to conclusions?" he complained.

"Hey, you stood me up. There's no good in that at all. They invented cell phones for a reason, you know," Naru flipped over the edge of the hole and dropped down into Keitaro's room, her Liddo-kun in hand.

"Oh, well, you know, uh…" Keitaro tried to cover up his embarrassment.

Naru sighed, "You really are a dummy, you know that?" She plopped down on the futon next to him. She reached over him, putting a pillow in his lap. Laying her head down on the pillow, she began, "So, you better tell me what happened."

"Huh?"

"Well, you can't just say you're sorry, right now. You stood me up," she giggled.

"Can you stop bringing that up? I'm sorry, okay?" he said, frustrated.

"Hey, hey, don't get mad," Naru said, looking at him. "I'm just giving you crap. But I do want to know what happened. I'm curious," she said.

Sighing, Keitaro looked down at Naru, "So you're not mad?"

She grabbed his cheeks and awkwardly tried to bring the two of them close enough to kiss. A quick peck and she smiled back at him from the pillow, "Of course not. Who could stay mad at you? So tell me what happened."

Keitaro looked worriedly back at Naru, explaining the lives of the two troubled girls.

- - -

_I already know the Naru/Kei thing seemed slightly anti-climatic. However, I wanted them to hold up the ideal of a relationship. Fixing things. Forgiving. Etc. The other girls seem to have problems with that. They either can't forgive each other or themselves. Kitsune, earlier, couldn't forgive Motoko. Shinobu couldn't forgive herself for giving in so easily to Keisuke. And, as we all know, you don't stand up the person you've been dating for a year. And, as it seems, Naru can just easily forgive him._

_Also, for those who don't remember from, I believe, Chapter 2 (Boyfriends), Su's graduation is also on Friday. Thus, I plan on making this fic last a whole week of story time. And, for those who lost track, it was Tuesday night in this chapter. _

_Anyway, I have a lot of great ideas already planned and worked out. So, I hope you all enjoy the upcoming chapters._

_SS_


	14. I:14: Morning Wish

_I guess I should apologize a bit for last chapter. I put up a lot of stuff at once. Each section I wanted to put it just made it longer and longer and I wasn't good with that. However, because of the current of what goes on in this chapter, specifically how it starts, I had to end last chapter a specific way. _

_Onto the story…_

- - -

Pink Camellias  
14 – Morning Wish  
SethSolare

- - -

Motoko sat in her room, lights off, huddled in a corner. It was hardly morning, but the darkness outside of her room and the fact that she was simply tired told her it was, indeed, morning. Looking over at her digital clock, green numbers told her it was three in the morning. She sighed, tucking her legs up to her chest. Wrapping her arms around them, she rested her head on her knees.

"_I screwed it up_," she repeated in her head. She could hardly believe the number of times she'd said that in to herself that night. She just kept saying it over and over again. Impulsively, she repeated the words that never seemed to dwindle in meaning every time she did.

As tired as she was, she had been trying to sleep for hours now. Nothing was really helping her. The more she wanted to sleep, the harder it became. She closed her eyes, repeating again the only words that would come to her.

Her fingers found their way to her lips. For being a swordswoman, her hands were not so rough. Her sister's hands were just as soft. And as she touched her lips, she shivered, remembering what could be the last kiss she would ever have. Or maybe it wasn't. And as she sat alone in her room, she hoped that the woman that had kissed her would come back.

She looked over at her side remembering the night before when the two sat in the dark. She remembered that they had cuddled together in the dark. They kissed. They held onto each other, as if they were hanging on to the edge of their own happiness. Motoko, however, felt that she had already let go before there was a chance to hold on.

She sighed, remembering the weight of Kitsune's very light body on the cushion beneath her. Motoko felt a presence sitting next to her. But, as she opened her eyes, there was no one. No physical form occupied the space that seemed to be filled through whatever sensation she had inside her.

Looking back outside of her room, she wished that Kitsune would take back everything. She wished, more so, that she could take back everything. She wished that she didn't falter. She wished that she could have been far more loving. She wished, more than anything, that she could simply tell Kitsune.

As she stared out of her doorway, a figure came into view. A silhouette of a woman approached Motoko in the late night. For only a split second, she wished for it to be Kitsune. Instead, though, it was someone that she didn't expect. The woman sat next to Motoko in the same place Kitsune sat the night before.

"You know, it's weird," she started. "I woke up and thought immediately, 'My little sister is in trouble.'" Tsuruko took Motoko's head and leaned it up against her shoulder. She held her sister tightly, stroking her shoulder gently.

"So are you really okay with me and Kitsune?" Motoko asked, not being able to think of anything else to say.

"Well, if you're okay, I'm okay. I'm more concerned with people being mean to my little sister," Tsuruko smiled.

"What if, like, she and I weren't dating? Like, not now, but later?"

"Well," Tsuruko said, puzzled, "that would be a little weird, considering the morning conversation she and I had."

Motoko looked down at her feet. She shivered slightly from the thought of telling Tsuruko what had happened. "_She probably hasn't a clue. She's almost entirely clueless about stuff like this,_" she thought.

"You gonna tell me what happened? You're obviously upset. So, what happened? And shouldn't your girlfriend be comforting you?" Tsuruko asked, slightly concerned.

"She and I-" Motoko started. She hesitated, thinking of how to say what she wanted. "I'm not sure what I feel about her."

"I don't understand," Tsuruko responded.

"Kitsune loves me. I know that she does. But, I don't know if I love her. I want to know, but-" Motoko stopped again. She felt herself getting angrier at herself. She felt entirely too indecisive and useless.

"She loves me. I don't know if I love her. And I think I hurt her because of that," Motoko whispered. She scrunched up into as tight of a ball of a person as she could.

"I doubt that you've hurt her," Tsuruko said. "She loves you too much to really think that you're doing this intentionally. And, you're not. So, really, she's waiting on you to make up your mind."

Motoko shifted a little, uncomfortable talking about her lesbian relationship – or what existed of it – with her conservative sister. "I mean, how do I know I just want to be with her because it's just _someone _to be with?"

"You know?" Tsuruko stared. "I have no idea."

Motoko suddenly felt entirely disheartened to hear that response.

"It's just something you know, Motoko."

"I keep thinking that I love her. I keep saying it in my head. I said it to myself before I almost kissed Yumi. I said it to myself when I kissed her. I barely got it out last night. I'm not shouting it from the mountain tops or anything."

"Well, then it just seems like you're just flailing around hoping for some divine epiphany." Tsuruko paused before speaking further, "You're not going to get that. All that's going to happen is that, one day, you'll be screaming that you love her. You'll want the whole world to know. That's when you know for sure."

"How long does that take? Three days?"

"Probably not," Tsuruko said. "But, knowing you, you'll figure it out by then." She held her sister tightly.

After a few minutes of silence, Motoko looked up at her older sister, "Remember how we used to share a room?"

Tsuruko nodded.

"Can you at least keep me company until I can fall asleep."

Tsuruko smiled at Motoko. "Of course I can. It's what big sisters are for, right?"

- -

The following morning, Su found herself on all fours rummaging through her closet for all kinds of random things. She dug into it throwing clothes, boxes, and other objects behind her. On occasion, she would find something of interest. When she did, she neatly placed it into a pile of all her other stuff next to her.

After nearly an hour, from the top of her room rang an alarm. She pulled her head of the closet, looking over at her door. Motoko was standing in the doorway looking all around the jungle of a room.

"Hey. Didja need something?" Su asked, starting to dig around once more.

"Not really," Motoko said walking slowly into the room. "It amazes me that this jungle has survived for this long."

Su, slightly muffled, yelled, "Well, that's the whole point. I'm a mad scientist. It's what I _do_." Su threw another box behind her.

"Do you mind if I talk? You listen and all?" Motoko asked, closing the door behind her.

"Why would I not? It's what we do," Su responded while not even looking at Motoko. "Actually, it's usually the other way around. But, regardless, what'd you need?"

Motoko walked over to Su's pile of stuff on the floor. Much of the things there were parts, clothes, shoes, and games. Picking up a stuffed animal puppy, Motoko sighed, "It's about Kitsune."

Su stopped for a second and looked at Motoko. "Wait, what? I thought things were good there."

"That's right. They _were_. They're not anymore." Motoko tossed the plush toy into the air and caught it.

"What happened?" Su asked, starting to rummage through all of her stuff again.

"She thinks I don't honestly love her. I guess she thinks I just don't love her enough, or something," Motoko said in a low voice. "Perhaps I really don't deserve her."

"What do you mean?"

"She said that I had to decide on whether or not I want to admit to the world that I'm in a lesbian relationship. Well, not exactly, but that's what she implied."

"Well, _do _you love her?" Su asked the question in a matter of fact manner. It wasn't overly sarcastic. It wasn't even mean. But, inside, Motoko thought the question would physically injure her.

"I-I don't know," Motoko started. "Maybe?"

"You know what?" Su said, immediately after Motoko stopped talking. She pulled her head out of the closet once more, looking angrily at Motoko. "You know who you sound like? Naru. You sound exactly like her a few years ago. She always tried to ignore the fact that she loved Keitaro. And that's exactly what you're doing now."

Motoko looked at her friend, shocked. She slumped over and started leaning to the side with the support of her hand, unable to hold herself up from her kneeling position.

"You're being unfair. And all you're doing is just using Kitsune. You're using her so you can feel happy when you need it. And now," Su stopped and glanced back to her closet where her expression softened. She wanted to keep going, but she could already see she was hurting Motoko. Calming herself, she pulled a box out of her closet. She opened it, pulling forth a cat costume – the one Keitaro bought for her when they went on a date – before continuing in a soft voice.

"Now, you're hurting her." Su's voice was soft. "Just like Shinobu."

"Shinobu?" Motoko asked, wondering why she even mentioned the girl.

Su put the cat ears on her head while tying back her hair. "Huh?"

"You mentioned Shinobu. What's going on with her?" Motoko asked.

"Oh," Su's breathy words seemed more like simply mouthing them. She looked a bit embarrassed for mentioning something that she shouldn't even bother to share. "Well, you just seemed, like, busy. So I didn't want to talk about this to you. I mean, we share a lot and all, but this is, like, a lot."

"What?" Motoko said, trying to figure out what Su was saying.

"Well, I guess you heard about the thing with Keisuke and how that went right?" she started.

"Something about Shinobu beating him up, or something, yeah."

"There's kind of a lot more to that. And like, I want her to be with a guy that makes her forget about Keitaro and what's-his-face. You know, make her happy, and stuff," Su blushed, trying not to make the conversation sound too immature.

"Well, you know, I had a guy," Motoko said in a slightly cheerier voice. "Maybe he'd like her. Shinobu's smarter than me, cuter."

"She's also still in high school. He's like, what, 20?"

"And she's 17. So, it's all okay. I mean, it's almost November, so by the time they have to – you know – she'll be 18 and totally clean!" Motoko laughed.

"Wow," Su started. "That's quite possibly the dirtiest thing I've ever heard you say. Must be all those romance novels you write." Su smiled as she began putting on the rest of the cat costume she found.

"You're not supposed to know about those!" Motoko yelled, standing up.

Su ignored her after that. She admired how good she looked in the outfit, amazed that it still fit her. She sighed, turning about while looking in the mirror.

"Wait, didn't you get that when you went on that date with Keitaro?" Motoko asked.

"Yeah, I haven't looked at it since. I've been looking all over for it," Su responded.

"You don't still have a thing for him, do you?" Motoko asked with a bit of disbelief.

"Well, not really. But it does remind me how nice he is, compared to other guys," she said.

Motoko looked at Su in the mirror as well. "I could beat up Keisuke, too, you know."

"Yeah, you could," Su turned around again in the mirror, pulling at her costume's tail. "And why're you looking at me like that? This isn't turning you on is it?" Su's last question came out a bit scared.

"What?" Motoko's eyes narrowed. "Do you think just because I had this thing with Kitsune that I'm gonna get with every girl here?"

"What, you don't think Shinobu's cute?" Su teased.

Motoko didn't say anything. She simply rolled her eyes, and kept talking about something else. "So, should I introduce Yumi to her?" she asked.

Su's expression became more serious. Closing her eyes, she nodded without a word.

- - -

_Another short transition chapter. I decided to tie in everyone's story into the Su and Motoko chat at the end. Also, I liked Su's cat costume and she'll be wearing it for the duration. Or at least as long as I can feasibly keep it in._

_Also, you can kind of see this is a more drama-y version of the Keitaro/Naru story in the first, oh, 12 volumes of Love Hina. Consider it a condensed version. And no, Motoko and Kitsune will not run off to the most Northern part of Japan and make out in the water. It's just a bit too unoriginal, no? Though, that would make life easier. See you next chapter._

_SS_


	15. I:15: Unintentional

_By the way, in case you haven't figured it out, our story started on a Friday afternoon. And now, it's a Wednesday afternoon. I keep track of these things. Really. I have a nice flow chart… in my head._

- - -

Pink Camellias  
15 – Unintentional  
SethSolare

- - -

Haruka sat down in her teahouse after letting the last people out for that afternoon. It was a good day, there. She wished she had as many customers when the place was hers. She laid her head down on the table, some tea cups still on it. She stared at them for a bit, remembering that she hadn't worked this hard in such a long time. "_I only had to do research with Seta. Why did I even _want _to do this job?_" she thought, trying to motivate herself to clean up the place.

The cups, though, disappeared from view as a pair of hands reached for them and took them from the table. Kitsune put the few dishes on a tray that seemed to be filled with many of the other dishes on the table. She smiled at Haruka before disappearing into the kitchen.

Though tired, Haruka sat up and trudged over to the kitchen. Inside, Kitsune was happily washing the dishes. She liked the work. It was tiresome thinking of everything that happened the night before. Now, she just wanted to simply forget about it. "_It's all up to her now,_" she thought to herself.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Haruka asked.

"Huh?" Kitsune asked, smiling back at Haruka.

"Wait, you're not here because you've got issues? This is kind of new," she said, puzzled. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, I've got issues, but I think I've got it handled." Kitsune went back to washing the dishes.

"Do you think you might want to talk about it? I'm suddenly becoming less informed of you girls' lives out here. In fact, when I wasn't even _in _Hinata, I knew more. Suddenly, I'm an island all by myself. So _please _give me something to talk about," Haruka pleaded. Her voice, however, was muted and bored as it usually was. Kitsune wondered if Haruka was even interested.

"Well, I think I actually did something stupid." Kitsune started. "Like, I kinda gave Motoko an ultimatum. Stupid. Really stupid."

Haruka sat up on the counter and lit a cigarette. She stared up at the ceiling before continuing with the conversation, "Actually, that's what a lot of us do. Stupid things. I mean, I kind of gave Seta one a long time ago. Naru gave Kei one a while back. You're just next on the list." She puffed once again, "Don't worry, Su and Shinobu'll do it eventually, too."

"That's not comforting," Kitsune said.

"It's really not. But it's what happens," Haruka walked over to the sink and bumped Kitsune over, doing dishes along side her.

"So, I guess everyone's just really stupid when it comes to love," Kitsune's once bright expression diminished into a slightly more neutral one. She stepped away from the sink and paced to the end of the room.

"It's not a big surprise is it?" Haruka asked. "Don't they say, 'We're all fools in love'?"

Kitsune, though compelled to ask the reason, remained silent. She was sure the answer would have been a shrug of the shoulders and a puff of a cigarette.

"So what did you tell her?" Haruka goaded after some silence.

Kitsune shrugged, her eyes giving off a hint of discomfort. "She has until Friday to tell me if she really wants to be with me."

Haruka spun around to Kitsune, "Friday? Wow, I gave Seta a month to tell us which one he loved. You're giving her, what, 2 days? That's pretty harsh. Do you really think she can make a big relationship decision with her inexperience and, well, lack of any lesbian contact?"

Kitsune frowned. "It's not like she hasn't wanted a relationship. Those trashy romance novels she writes are worse than two girls kissing. I mean, I didn't even know she _knew _those words."

Haruka slowly raised an eyebrow. "That's totally beside the point."

"Well," Kitsune said, trying to get back to the question, "I think she can't, either. Realistically, she has as much of a clue as I do."

"At least you admit that this ultimatum thing is bad." Haruka dried off her hands, finished with her chore. A warm kettle of tea sat on the stove and Haruka poured herself a small cup of it.

"Maybe she should've just gone home," Kitsune said in a soft voice, her expression saddening.

Haruka thought about those words. After some silence, she responded, "Why? What would be the point? If she went home, it's going to be some unsettled thing in your memory. Motoko would end up wishing that she made a decision. Given the ultimatum, it's going to make her wish she had chosen you. You're gonna torture yourself thinking about her. She's going to go crazy _not _thinking about you. And, in the end, both of you are going to hate your lives more."

Kitsune listened intently. As much as she loved Haruka's advice, though, it grated on her. She was amazed at how Haruka could give advice so freely like a mother, but it was given so bluntly and cold.

"They say that people who try to push something out of their mind, think of it more often. And when Motoko trains, she won't have any focus if she's trying to forget about you. And you, you get to be so secretive about everything that you sometimes don't even tell Naru. You're going to hold in how much it hurts and you're going to crash.

"In the end, her going away is bad. And that's all there is to it," Haruka stopped for a quick puff of her cigarette and a sip of tea.

"So, then what? She stays here, and she says no to me. How's that any better?" Kitsune asked in a whisper.

"It's not much better. But instead of not answering you and leaving this place, she answers you and stays. The fact the she answers you will stop you from being so twisted up inside. You know?" Haruka said the words softly. She passed a cup of tea over to Kitsune, smiling softly.

"It doesn't sound better," Kitsune said, taking a sip from her cup.

Haruka shrugged, "That's what I thought. And now look," she said gently, holding up her wedding ring.

- -

By the evening, Keitaro and Naru were entirely too tired from the day of school. Keitaro managed to feel less tired, considering that Naru had her tutoring job. After waiting the few hours for her outside, they made the long trek home after a bit of dinner. "_Such a typical day_," Keitaro thought to himself, as he plopped down in the middle of Naru's room, Naru next to him.

He stared up at the ceiling, too exhausted to move. However, he found the energy, at least, to speak, "So, Su me called during your tutoring class."

"Uh huh, and so?" Naru asked, too tired to be interested.

"It's about Kitsune and Motoko, actually. And apparently she's trying to set up Motoko's last boyfriend with Shinobu." He spoke in a slightly discreet voice.

"You mean Yumi? Motoko and him still talk? Even after all that other stuff?" Naru asked suddenly less tired.

"Well, it's only been a few days since they even thought about going out. So, it's not like he's had a lot of time to hate her. And, besides, he seems like a really level-headed guy." Keitaro sat up as he spoke.

"Absolutely unlike you. I mean, if a girl were to dump you, it'd be the absolute end of the world," she laughed.

Keitaro grumbled at her. "What would happen to Kitsune if someone dumped her?" He asked her this calmly. Turning toward her, he looked at her with worry.

"Dumped her? Who'd want to do that? Don't tell me Motoko's even thinking about it," Naru sat up as well. She gave him the same look he gave her.

"I don't know. It just seems like Motoko's having second thoughts. And Su mentioned something about it." Keitaro looked away from Naru.

Naru, likewise, stared down at the floor, "Kitsune'd be crushed. She loves her," Naru said.

"Maybe Motoko should consider, you know, taking a break. Head home with her sister. All that kind of stuff," Keitaro suggested.

"Why?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "That'd be horrible."

"Not really. Motoko needs some time to think things out. Sure, Kitsune's ready to jump right on in, but Motoko's still afraid of it all." Keitaro stood up.

Looking up at him, "And then what? Kitsune's going to be stuck here without anyone. She may seem all resilient, but the last real relationship she was in destroyed her." Naru stood up and paced toward the back of her room. "I don't want to have to deal with that, again. She was crushed and I couldn't help her."

"Yeah, I can understand that. But how can they be in a real relationship if one of them doesn't know what she even wants? Wouldn't it be entirely unfair of Motoko to just string Kitsune along, letting her think that they were a happy couple? I mean, Motoko's probably not even sure she's a lesbian or bi or whatever," Keitaro seemed to become agitated, too.

"All Kitsune wants is a few short moments of happiness. Even if it's fleeting, she'll be happy with it. Instead, she's going to be tortured with not even seeing the person she loves. And, when you went to America, I had to live without you for months and it made me crazy. We weren't officially a couple then. And these two have kissed and everything. And they've done it several times. I'm sure if Motoko had any qualm about it, she'd probably be more avoidant of Kitsune." Naru argued. "But, no, she seems entirely gravitated toward Kitsune. I think she's pretty much made up her mind on the lesbian thing."

Keitaro grumbled, "How do you know she's so sure about it? Did she tell you? Because Motoko seems to have a really good track record of keeping things like that from everyone."

Naru, her voice much more tense, "You haven't even really seen them together. And Kitsune's the one telling me about how they spent the night together, kissed in the rain, cried together. Motoko isn't deciding to be with a woman; she's deciding to be with Kitsune. And if she's not here, she's never going to know for sure."

"But it's all going to be a lie for both of them. Motoko won't even be in the relationship. And Kitsune's going to be in it too much. In the end, all they're going to do is hurt each other." Keitaro's voice became stern, his expression serious.

Naru glared back at him, "Kitsune's my best friend. And I think I know what she would find important in her life. I'd know how happy she would be even if it was sort of a lie. It doesn't matter to her."

"What about Motoko? Do you think it doesn't matter to her?" Keitaro's voice grew louder.

"Of course it matters to her. She's going to make herself miserable, wishing she had chosen to at least face her problems. Instead, all she's going to do is run away."

"What kind of decision can she make if she's just floundering around without knowing what to do? What she wants? I don't want either of them to feel miserable later."

Naru looked away from him, pacing back around the room, "All Kitsune wants is just a moment of relief. All she wants is just to sit back and be happy, even if it doesn't last."

Keitaro visibly got angrier, looking over Naru, "You keep thinking about Kitsune. What about Motoko? Do you even know what she wants? It's like you don't even care about her. You don't even care about your friends."

Naru became speechless. She glared at him, angry and hurt. Keitaro looked at her, his expression softening slightly. He, too, was in disbelief that he said something like that.

Silence came between them. A stare between the two was all the communication they had left in them. Naru, hurt, looked down and away from Keitaro, "Get out of my room, Keitaro."

He moved over to her, "I didn't-"

"How dare you," Naru interrupted, a weak voice came from her mouth. "You accuse me of thinking I don't care about Motoko or Kitsune. Motoko can make her choice here. She can spend whatever time she wants in a weak relationship with Kitsune. But she'd be in a relationship. She'd be with someone. It would make her happy. And you think I don't care." Naru walked over to the floorboard with her Liddo-kun sitting atop it. Arms folded, she pushed board away with her foot.

Without a word, Keitaro guiltily went down to his room.

- -

Motoko pressed her towel up to her chest while her other hand held her other towel to her hair. She walked upstairs to her room. "_Leaving your clothes in your room, not a good idea,_" she thought to herself. She sneaked up the stairs, trying not to make noise and call attention to herself. When she made it to the second floor, she peaked around the corner to see if anyone was in the hallway.

"_Maybe she's working,_" she thought to herself. Slowly, she snuck away into the stairwell again. However, before she turned around, she bumped into someone.

"Shouldn't you be wearing clothes or something?" Kitsune asked as she came from the top floor.

"Ack!" Motoko shouted, jumping back. After collecting herself, "Oh, uh, yeah. I left my clothes in my room. I'm just kind of out of it." Motoko pulled the towel covering her in tighter.

"Okay," Kitsune acknowledged. She looked over Motoko suspiciously, "What? You seem weirded out."

"What? Oh, me? No, not really," she said shifting her weight to another foot. "It's just, you know, I'm kinda half-naked on Keitaro's floor." Her mind drifted a bit more, "_I'm kinda half-naked in front of you._"

"Oh, that. Yeah, that's a bit weird, yeah." Kitsune looked away, slightly embarrassed. "_What am I, Keitaro? It's not like I haven't seen her naked,_" she thought.

"_Why's she looking away? It's not like we haven't _seen _each other before._" Motoko attempted to step past Kitsune. The gray haired girl stepped aside and headed off toward her room. "G-good night, Kitsune," she said nervously.

"Yeah, good night to you, too," Kitsune called back to her. "_That was weird._"

"_This would be easier if she didn't live here_," Motoko thought to herself. She moved quickly to her room, shivering slightly.

She walked over to her table where she had first left her clothes. Still feeling slightly uncomfortable, she quickly put on her clothes – shorts and an oversized pajama top. "_Why does it have to be weird?_" she asked herself as she sat down, drying off her hair.

Tossing her towel aside, she walked over to her dresser taking a hairbrush from it. Her cell phone pulsed its little green light as she stared at it. Taking it off her dresser, she looked through her saved numbers, scanning through each name. There weren't many – Keitaro, Kitsune, Naru, Shinobu, Su. There were a few school friends, Haruka, and Tsuruko. However, she stopped at a name in particular.

"_I guess I should call him,_" she thought to herself. She pushed the call button, putting the phone to her ear while brushing her damp hair. As the phone rang, she moved over to the light switch in her room and shut it off, turning her room into darkness.

"Hello?" a voice answered.

"Hey, Yumi. It's Motoko," she said in a bright, cheery voice.

"Hey, yourself. And I recognized you from the moment you showed up on caller ID," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, you know. I'm just calling to see how you're doing." Motoko sat down on her futon in the back of her room in the dark.

"I'm alright, you?" he asked.

"The usual," she said in a soft voice.

Yumihiko cleared his throat, "So, I'm guessing by the fact that you sound all mellow is because there's something unusual going on."

Motoko grumbled and flopped down on her futon, now staring at the ceiling, "Yeah, fine. There is something 'unusual' going on."

Yumihiko acknowledged her with just a noise.

"Well, I was thinking that since the whole thing between, you know, us didn't work out, you wouldn't mind helping me cheer up a friend?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

Motoko shifted in her futon, her shoulders feeling slightly jittery. "Well, maybe you wouldn't mind taking her on a, uh, date? Like, a blind date?" she asked slowly.

"Well, I-"

"Oh well, you don't have to," Motoko interrupted. "I understand if you don't. It's kind of weird me calling out of the blue asking you to date my friend. It's weird, really. So, just don't worry about it."

After some silence, Yumihiko spoke, "It's alright. I mean, as long as she's not crazy, it'd not bad."

"Oh, no, she's not. She's the calmest person at the house. She's, you know, normal. And that's not to say that the others here are abnormal. She just normal-er." Motoko rolled her eyes at herself, "_Normal-er? What? Why did I even _say _that?_"

"Normal is fine. When do you think this is gonna go on?" he asked.

Motoko hadn't actually thought about it. She fumbled for an answer, "Well, Friday is Su's graduation. And we're all going, so, I guess that's a no for Friday. Uhm, is tomorrow okay? It's just so short notice. You don't have to say yes, you know."

"No, tomorrow's fine. Should I plan this out, or are you?" he asked.

"Well," Motoko said, thinking as quickly as she could, "you could just hang out. She's a pretty simple girl. She gets excited by a lot, really. You could just pick whatever you like."

"Whatever I like?"

"Whatever you like. You know," she paused, trying to think of something. "Whatever."

Yumihiko cleared his throat, "Alright. Tomorrow at--" he said, drawing his words out.

"Oh, uh, 6?" Motoko responded.

"Okay, in front of the little fountain in downtown, alright?" he said.

Motoko nodded, sighing, "Yeah, that's good. So, yeah."

"Okay. Hey, I gotta get going. I'm closing the shop tonight, so I'm kind of in the middle of cleaning up," he said.

"Yeah, oh, okay. I guess I'll see you," she said.

"Oh, you will. Sorry about going so quickly, kinda can't help it. I'll try and call you tomorrow," he assured her.

Motoko sat up from her futon, "On, no, you don't have to. Just, whatever."

"Well, alright, then. See you, later." After those words, Yumihiko's phone clicked off.

"Whatever? What am I, 14?" she asked herself – plopping back down on her futon, closing her eyes. "_That was just weird_," she told herself.

- - -

_Well, the last section doesn't have much to do with the title of the chapter, but I felt that this section was necessary, seeing as how I wanted to start the next chapter on the next morning. What that was about was simply the weirdness of talking and seeing your "ex-es." Sure, Kitsune isn't really an ex. And Yumi and Motoko only went on one date. So, really, it just seems kinda weird for her._

_Anyway, I had the need to create a conflict for Keitaro and Naru. Sure, they're a great couple, but who doesn't get in fights? Only the nothing fights are the bad ones. I realized that for them to really get mad at each other, it had to be something important. Their friends seemed like a good reason to fight. In the end, you say things you don't mean or just argue in circles until you say something you don't mean. Usually that's how fights end up. And it seemed important that these two looked like a real couple, not just some destined one that never has anything bad happen._

_SS_


	16. I:16: Talk

_It occurs to me that my favorite way, though subconsciously, to start a story is at night, in someone's room as they stare out past their window._

- - -

Pink Camellias  
16 – Talk  
SethSolare

- - -

Kitsune brushed aside the grass on the hill overlooking to the dormitory. The moonlit night was beautiful. And as she stared up at the clear, deep-blue sky, her eyes softened. Closing her eyes, she could hear and feel the breeze. Her hair brushed across her cheeks. Her arms were wrapped in air. Her shirt pushed up against her body. And as the wind died down, she opened her eyes again.

"Hey, you," Naru said, staring at Kitsune directly in the face.

Startled, Kitsune jumped back for a second. Looking slightly relieved, she slumped over, rolling her eyes. "Way to scare the crap out of me in the middle of the night."

Naru took a seat next to Kitsune. "Oh, don't worry. If I were going to jump you, I'd at least be nice and say, 'Please, give me all your money or I'll kill you,'" Naru laughed.

"Thanks. And I thought the world was far less considerate nowadays." Kitsune giggled back at her, shoving her slightly with her shoulder. "So, what brings you out here in the middle of the night away from Keitaro and to where potential, but polite, muggers might be?

Naru grumbled and pulled her knees up to her chest. Resting her chin on her knees, "We had a fight. It was just, ugh… bad."

"Really? What happened?" Kitsune asked, tilting her head toward Naru.

"Actually, we fought about you. You and Motoko, to be specific," Naru said calmly.

Kitsune turned away from Naru. She lay down on the ground, staring up at the stars. Sighing, "So what happened that you out here?"

Naru lied down next to Kitsune, "He just said stuff. Like I didn't care about you guys. He was like, 'Oh, you don't care at all about Motoko. Kitsune's all you care about and that's it. You don't even want Motoko to be happy. Blah, blah, blah.' It was pretty ugly."

Kitsune shifted in the grass, "I-I don't think he meant it." She waited for Naru to perhaps say something. However, the girl next to her didn't even seem entirely focused. "You're really out of it," Kitsune said after waiting in silence.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess," Naru said. "It's just that this is, like, our first _real _fight, you know? I mean, sure, we fought about stuff like, 'Oh, you saw me naked,' or 'You kissed Mutsumi,' or 'You looked at me funny.' Nothing serious, ever."

"This is bad… how?" Kitsune asked sarcastically.

"You know what I mean. It's just that, shouldn't we be getting along and stuff?" Naru asked.

"Couples fight. Ask Shinobu's parents; they could fight about anything. You could ask them about, like, paper towels and they could fight over that," Kitsune said bluntly. "At least the last little fights you got in were before you were dating. And, now, your first real fight. At least make it good, you know?"

"What do you mean by that?" Naru asked innocently.

"Well, couples don't joke about make-up sex for nothing," Kitsune giggled.

Naru whipped her head over to Kitsune's, eyes narrowing, "Yeah." She relaxed again, plopping back down on the ground, "And besides, we haven't even, you know, done it."

Kitsune propped herself up on her elbows, "Really? Like, seriously? Ever?"

"I mean, we tried once. But it just turned out all weird." Naru looked over at Kitsune. "Does that sound weird?"

"Nope, not at all. He was probably just nervous," Kitsune giggled.

Naru sat up as well, "Wait, no, not that! I mean, he was, you know. But, like, stuff got in the way. Like, stuff that wasn't humanly possible. And I stress human."

Kitsune shrugged, "Oh well. It'll happen eventually." Kitsune relaxed on the ground again, her hands behind her head. Naru did likewise.

"Wait, what about you and Motoko? Have you guys even had the talk?" Naru asked.

"I don't know what universe you're in, but she and I have barely been dating. We've been trying to stay together longer than we have time to talk," Kitsune sighed.

Naru looked at Kitsune, "What's going on there? I heard there was some kind of badness or something?"

Kitsune's voice softened, "I kind of did the stupid ultimatum thing. 'Tell me you love me or else,' kind of thing, you know? I don't even know what I said anymore."

Naru sat back up, tucking her knees up to her chest again, "Did she ever tell you that she loved you?"

"'Loved' is the correct word to use there. I mean, I don't know. I guess, maybe, yeah. I don't even know if she meant it that one time. She just sorta said it," Kitsune said, taking up the same sitting position as Naru.

Naru looked at Kitsune, "Do you think that maybe you just sorta said it?"

Kitsune looked back at Naru. She clutched her legs and rested her head on her knees. Her eyebrows furrowed, eyes saddened. "I'm not too sure."

Naru smiled, "I'm sorry. You probably just said that because I asked."  
"Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure anymore." Kitsune turned away from Naru, feeling her throat choking up.

Naru put a hand on Kitsune's shoulder and pulled her close. Kitsune rested her head on Naru's shoulder. "Don't say that. You've always been sure, Kitsune. You're one of the few people that I know that never makes a mistake about relationships. I mean, you got the Keitaro and me thing before anyone else did. And you knew it was good from the moment I started kicking his ass," Naru laughed.

"But, this is me. I'm good at seeing everyone else's stuff. My relationships suck. Do you even remember my last boyfriend?" Kitsune asked, her voice quivering.

"He was also a jerk, which, by the way, seems to be a trend around here. Except for Yumi, or something. I hear he's a good guy. Shinobu's gonna be lucky," said Naru.

"Shinobu?"

"Yeah, apparently Motoko and Su are setting her up. I mean, Shinobu had that one Keisuke guy, remember? Guess they're trying to cheer her up."

Kitsune straightened up her neck, rubbing one side of it, "Ugh, my neck hurts now."

"I guess it helps if you do that with someone taller." Naru left her hand on Kitsune's opposite shoulder.

"I bet Motoko would've been a great person to do that with," Kitsune said.

Naru giggled, "Aww, you're becoming all romantic. You used to give me a lot of crap about that, too."

"It's because you got so cutesy," Kitsune laughed. After some silence, Kitsune sighed. "I would've killed years ago to be like this, you know, with you," she said shyly.

"Uh, what?" Naru asked, blushing.

"Oh, shut up Naru. It's not like you're even available now. Besides, it's like some typical gay joke that you tell your best friend that you wanted them," Kitsune giggled.

"Ah, oh, okay," Naru responded shyly. "Well, I could've been an awesome girlfriend for a girl, you know. I mean, you know, the best friend thing."

"There's that. Also, you're the nicest person I know." Kitsune paused, thinking, "Also, 'nice' is such a crappy way to describe people, don't you think?"

"You mean, like, 'I really don't know what you are, so you're just nice.'"

"Yeah, something like that," Kitsune giggled.

They sat, quietly, until Naru felt the urge to at least have some sound, "So… wanna stay out longer?"

Kitsune nodded.

"Good talk?"

"Yup."

- -

Shinobu had woken up very early that Thursday morning. What she believed was a quick nap was, more or less, a full night's sleep. Considering that it was laundry day, it was far much worse for her to do that. "_I should've set an alarm or something. The clothes are still all wet_," she thought to herself as she hung the clothes out in the early morning on the top floor deck.

She grabbed a few of the sheets out of the laundry basket, shaking them out and straightening them slightly. There were several baskets of clothes, seeing as how she'd somehow let most of the clothes start piling up. She sighed, recalling why everything got so screwed up in the first place.

From the basket, she pulled out one of Naru's shirts. The chest of the shirt seemed stretched, forming Naru's shape on the cloth. "_Why couldn't I be the hot one? Girl's got like, back problems or something. Oh, no, wait, she doesn't. She just magically has a great body and no problems,_" she told herself sarcastically. She grumbled, staring down her own body.

Su, who had been sitting on the railing, watched Shinobu as she did her chore. "What're you looking so blah about?" Su asked, jumping down from the railing.

"Naru's, like, amazing. She's got a great guy. She's got a great body. She's smart. She's got everything. And, then, there's adequate, old me. I'm boring. I'm sorta blah as far as looks go. I'm not as smart as she is. And my last boyfriend was whatever." Shinobu tossed a sheet up on the lines.

"Well, boyfriend thing aside, you're pretty much wrong about that stuff. I mean, you're not boring. I'm enjoying watching you put up the clothes on the line. You're obviously smart, don't know how to prove that, but you are. And you really are attractive. I'm sure any guy would want to go out with you," Su said matter-of-factly.

"I don't know about the guy thing. We saw how well that turned out last time."

"I'm not saying it's great or anything. I mean, Keisuke was a special case kind of jerk. I mean, I'm sure there're some nice guys out there," Su walked over to Shinobu, taking a sheet from the basket. She tossed a sheet up on the line along with some of her own clothes.

Shinobu looked over at Su, "Well, whatever. It doesn't really make a difference. I figure I'm not gonna date for a while."

Su whipped her head around at Shinobu, "Wait, what?"

"I've officially sworn of dating. For now, at least," Shinobu said with a nod.

"Uh, what if you were set up?" Su asked slowly.

"You can have him. Whoever set me up with someone, you can just go for me. I'm currently cramming for exams this year anyway. I don't have time for a boyfriend," Shinobu said, taking Keitaro's shirts from the basket.

Su peaked a head from behind one of the flowing pieces of cloth. "Well, Motoko and I kinda set you up," Su admitted bashfully.

Shinobu raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Well, you didn't look too happy. So, like, we asked if Yumi was available. And, well, we set you two guys up," Su said, backing away slightly.

"Yumi? As in Motoko's pseudo-ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah, that Yumi. Cute. Smart. Funny. Sorta like Seta." Su moved toward a railing.

Shinobu dropped a sheet to the ground. "And you didn't, uh, ask me?" she asked slowly.

"Well, that's kind of the point," Su responded with a forced smile.

"I-I-I don't. I don't know," she stuttered. She looked around, trying to find something to look at other than Su. She was uncomfortable enough talking about dating. It was worse when Su wanted to talk about it.

"So, you're not going to go?" Su asked, inching closer to Shinobu.

Shinobu slumped over a bit, "Oh, I don't know." She turned away, putting up the last of the clothes on the line.

"You don't have to. I mean, if you don't want him, I'm in need of a guy," Su grinned.

Shinobu, shyly, glanced over to Su, "Would you really?"

"Wait, what? No, I was just kidding," Su laughed nervously. "I mean, you've totally been set up to go. The whole deal. I mean, you have to just show up and that's it. He does the rest."

"I don't really want to," Shinobu said carrying a laundry basket over to Su. "I mean, if you think he's cute, you should go out with him."

"What? How did this turn into my blind date?" Su asked, stunned.

"So you _do _think he's cute," Shinobu teased, beginning to smile.

"Now, I didn't say that," Su responded blushing a bit.

"But you thought it. And you've totally spied on those two when they were a thing. You think he's cute," Shinobu giggled. "I can tell."

Su rolled her eyes, "I'll go if you tell Motoko."

"Good, I'll tell her when I see her," Shinobu said carrying away a laundry basket inside the house.

"_How did she do that?_" Su asked herself. "_I mean, this was _her _date. Not mine. She totally manipulated me and I missed it._"

Su laughed to herself, "_Oh well, I got a date out of it._"

- -

Motoko wandered down the steps to the teahouse. It was far too early in the morning for there to be any customers. However, she knew Haruka would be up cleaning the place up for the morning crowd. Motoko hadn't bothered to change out of the shorts and tank top she slept in. Too much was on her mind for her to really care about how nice she really looked.

When she finally reached the teahouse, she moved the curtains aside peeking inside. "_No one,_" she said to herself. She inched inside, scanning the room for Haruka. Carefully, she tiptoed around, looking for any sign of Haruka having started her morning routine. And, from within the kitchen, she heard the shuffle of feet and a kettle.

Motoko crept over to the curtains leading to the kitchen. Pulling them aside, she peeked into the room. Inside, a familiar woman stood in front of a kettle with the usual apron. But, even though Motoko wasn't too surprised, it wasn't Haruka.

"Good morning," Kitsune looked up and greeted Motoko. "Did you need something?"

"I was, uh, looking for Haruka. Is she here?"

"Actually, she's sleeping in. I get to open today. Something I can do?" Kitsune offered looking away from Motoko.

"Oh, no. I mean, it's not important. I can wait." Motoko backed away from the room.

"She'll be up later," Kitsune said. "But, you can stay here. We could, you know, talk."

Motoko stopped. She walked slowly over to the island in the middle of the room where Kitsune poured another cup of tea. As they drank, neither said a word.

Kitsune poured herself another cup of tea. Uncomfortably, she looked up at Motoko, "Um, do you want another?"

"Sure, I guess," Motoko said.

Upon finishing pouring, Kitsune decided to continue speaking. "We should talk about us."

"Huh? Us?" Motoko asked, bewildered.

"Yeah. I mean, we haven't had a chance to talk since I gave you that stupid, idiotic ultimatum. I mean, I should've never told you that."

"Well, I guess not. It's kind of hard to make a decision," Motoko responded.

"Why's that?" Kitsune asked.

"I mean, I need more time. It's a lot to think about in just a few days, you know?" Motoko said.

"I understand. But, like, you can't figure it out?"

"What? Of course, not? I'm not even sure if I can feel the same way you do," Motoko said.

"I'm beginning to feel doubtful myself," Kitsune admitted.

Motoko looked up at Kitsune, "Really? So, do you want to like, extend the deadline?" she laughed.

Kitsune's expression remained the same, "I'm not saying I don't want to be with you. I'm just saying I'm not quite sure I'm as ready as I thought I was for a lesbian relationship." Kitsune tried convincing herself this in her head. Inside, and uncontrollably, she felt herself becoming tenser.

"Oh, well, I don't know much about relationships in general," Motoko said, trying to smile.

"I mean, I do know I want to be with you. Just, I'm not sure if the original 'forever' idea is what I want. I just know that this is what I want now," Kitsune said.

"I'm not as sure as you. I need more time," Motoko repeated. Likewise, she felt her body begin to tighten.

"You can't even make a temporary decision?" Kitsune failed to mask a slight annoyance.

"So, you think the ultimatum was a bad idea. And, you still want me to decide a future, even a short one, with you? In other words, it was bad idea, let's keep it?" Motoko's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why're you getting mad at me? I just don't want to be strung along here. I mean, I want to be with you," Kitsune calmed herself down.

"You think the ultimatum is dumb. Why do you want me to keep it? I can't make a decision like this, Kitsune," Motoko stood up from her seat.

"Wait, hold on. Let's just talk about this," Kitsune said, trying to calm both of themselves down.

"No, I don't want to talk about this. You keep telling me you love me and you won't even give me space? I need room to breathe, think. You want me to make a decision I'm not sure about. This doesn't help us at all. How fair is it to you to stay in this and I might end up in a different place?" Motoko asked.

Kitsune looked up, her eyes beginning to tear up, "Why does it matter? Even if it's for a short time, it's going to give us time to be sure. Know what it's really like to be together."

"I'm not even sure I want that Kitsune. And I really don't appreciate you wanting to keep me chained down to a certain day to decide. This is hard enough as it is," Motoko felt herself wanting to let a tear loose.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like this," Kitsune said. She quickly stood from her seat and ran out of the room past Motoko. She darted out of the teahouse, bumping into a young couple as she ran back up the steps to the house.

Motoko stood in the kitchen, slightly dumbfounded. "_Why did I say that? Why did I act that way? Why did I just treat her like that?_" she asked herself. She felt her body resign. Everything loosened. She felt weak standing in the empty kitchen. "_Maybe I'm useless for her._"

- - -

_Spent a long time working out the end of this chapter. A lot of that is sort of a real conversation. It was something that I remember was just painful and scary. People begin to change their minds about things. Blame themselves for everything. And, really, it's kind of true. They hurt the person they love because they can't love them. It hurts too much to love them. Maybe that's what this section really means. _

_SS _


	17. I:17: Aftermath

_It's another very short chapter. However, unlike traditional chapters I've written, this one picks up right where the other left off. And for good reason. _

_Of course, on the upside, some books are near 100 chapters long and only 1 thing happens, maybe two paragraphs worth of stuff. If that's how I separated my chapters, I'd have probably 30 or more. Of course, those people make money. I don't even own Love Hina, the characters, or anything else. You know, just in case someone asks. . _

_By the way, there's a reason I say all that stuff. Because even though this is a short chapter, it has the greatest amount of sections in a chapter. _

- - -

Pink Camellias  
17 – Aftermath  
SethSolare

- - -

Minutes ticked by as Motoko simply stared at the counter surface past her still full cup of tea. She pushed the cup forward, sinking her head lower to the counter. Every one of her limbs began to wilt. She looked up, attempting to clutch the cup of tea. However, trying with all her will, she couldn't lift the cup. Her whole body felt entirely shocked.

Struggling to control her own tears, she willed herself to stand up. She pulled her body up, trying to not weaken herself. But, as should straightened up, a shiver ran through her. Closing her eyes, she hunched back over the counter top. Her breathing became labored. Her body quivered. Her eyes stung.

"_What have I done?_" she kept asking herself. "_Is this because… Is this because I love her?_"

She shook her head. "_I just hurt my friend_," she convinced herself. "_I hurt her and this – this isn't love._" She felt a tear slide down her face, another shiver through her body.

Then, someone else popped their head into the kitchen. "Kitsune, could you get the tea out here? I've been – oh. Where's Kitsune?" Haruka asked, looking at Motoko.

"What?" she responded, surprised to even see anyone.

"Oh, uh, I told Kitsune," Haruka started slowly, "about your sister. She's here. She and I were gonna talk this morning. You know, stuff."

"Sh-she left," Motoko said, using her wrists to wipe away her tears quickly.

"Do you want to talk?" Haruka asked softly.

Motoko felt her body shudder, her throat began to tighten. Her mouth opened slowly. Her breaths became shallow. And, with a quick surge of energy, she darted past Haruka, past Tsuruko, and out into the street. As she turned toward the stairs to the house, she ran into a body. It grabbed at her wrist.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Keitaro asked.

She looked up at him – dazed, confused. "Take me for a walk," she barely mouthed. She couldn't even hear it herself.

Keitaro nodded. "It's not like I'm gonna be able to talk to those two married gals about anything besides, well, nothing. So, let's walk," he said.

- -

As the two walked down the grounds of the dorm, Motoko clung to him like a security blanket. He felt her quiver at each step. Her breath was short and he felt it on his shoulder. They walked higher up the hill in the early morning.

Motoko sat down on the ground, unable to move further. Keitaro sat next to her, holding her. She tried to speak, but the words came between quick sobs, "You must have class or something."

"Not until the afternoon. Let's talk," he said, rubbing her shoulder.

She calmed herself before trying to talk. "You know, I always thought love would be much easier than this. I guess it's not even news that Kitsune and I are all weird now."

"I've heard a few things," Keitaro said.

Motoko didn't say anything. She stared blankly at the ground, her mouth agape. Snapping herself out of it with a shake of her head and sniff of her nose, she tried to talk again. "We had a fight today."

"It happens to everyone, Motoko," Keitaro comforted her.

Motoko scoffed, "What about you and Naru? Haruka? Tsuruko? All of your lives are perfect. You people have wonderful lives without the pain."

"Well, people fight. I mean, Naru and I got into a fight last night," Keitaro admitted.

"You two?" Motoko asked, her expression becoming more hurt.

"What? Oh, it was just a fight. We've gotten into them before. It's not a big deal," he lied, trying to give the despairing girl a smile.

Motoko looked back at the ground, "You guys are perfect. Even your fights don't tear you apart." Motoko sniffed again.

"No one's perfect, Motoko. Things, uh, happen. Things are bound to get in the way sometimes and you have to just work through it."

Motoko shook her head.

"What'd you guys fight about?" Keitaro asked.

Motoko looked up at Keitaro. "I honestly can't even remember. I remember saying that I hated the ultimatum she gave me. I mean, why? How could she? I can't – I can't do this. I can't do this at all."

"You can. And you can't keep running away from your problems like you are now," Keitaro said in a soft voice.

"I don't know what do, though. W-What do I say? 'Sorry for yelling at you, but I still don't know if I love you'?" she responded.

"That's something you could say. But, you could also say, you know, that you guys need to talk. And that you need more time. I'm sure she'd understand," Keitaro said.

"How would I even ask her?" she asked.

Keitaro looked at her again. "Well, what would you be doing tonight?"

"Well, I think Yumi's taking Shinobu on a date."

"Wait, what?" Keitaro asked.

- -

Kitsune cried into her pillow in her room. She felt her tears soak into the feathers of her favorite pillow. The door to her room was closed, but she knew that anyone could hear her bawling in her room.

"_I'm horrible. She hates me. I'm the worst person in her life. I screwed up everything. Everything's my fault. Everything's my fault. Everything's my fault,_" she thought to herself.

Standing up in her tears, she grabbed a bottle of something to drink from her upper shelves. She took a quick swig of whatever she grabbed and, then, threw it at the wall opposite form her.

The glass bottle shattered, leaving a wet explosion on the wooden panels of her room. Broken glass littered the floor. She stepped back, away from the broken glass. As her back hit the wall, she crumbled to the floor. She felt her face scrunching up, her mouth wide open. She let out a loud cry. Huddling at the wall, she tried moving toward the corner.

Pulling her legs up to her chest, she rocked back and forth trying to call attention to herself with her crying. She wished someone would come and save her. She wished that Motoko could hear her. She whispered her name over and over.

In her mind, though, she knew no one would come. No one was home. She knew that she was alone, crying in her room. For all her screaming, she knew no one would come.

"_Make it all go away,_" she wished. She simply stayed in her corner, sniffing and sobbing quietly.

But she wanted someone. She needed someone. Looking at the clock, she realized she had been in her room for an hour and a half. Weakly she picked herself up off the floor. She moved outside of her room and looked into the room next to hers. "_He's not here,_" she thought.

"_She's probably at class_," she thought, looking at the hole in Keitaro's floor.

She turned back to her room. She looked around through her blurred vision and rapidly picked up some clothes, a towel, and a bottle of whatever she could reach and headed toward the baths.

- -

Keitaro picked up Motoko from the ground. After being too tired to keep talking about her Yumihiko and her plan and finally having the crying stop, she seemed to just pass out. Motoko's eyes were closed, her breathing slow. It seemed she was in an incredibly deep sleep. "_I guess she'd be all tired out from everything,_" he thought. He picked her up from her legs and head and carried began carrying her back.

As he neared Hinata House, he heard his cell phone ringing in his pocket. Gently, he laid Motoko's legs on the ground so he could dig into his pocket. Flipping his phone open, he switched on his speakerphone, "Hello?"

"I left a book at the house. Can you bring it to me?" Naru's voice asked quietly on the phone.

"Um, I guess so. What book is it?" he asked.

"It's for my child psych course. I just – I need it. I can't come home and get to class fast at all. So, can you please bring it?" she pleaded.

"I guess," he responded hesitantly.

She sighed on the other end, "I'll – I'll be waiting in the union. Come here soon." And Keitaro heard her phone close.

"_I guess she's still mad at me,_" he sighed, picking Motoko back up. "_At least she doesn't punch me so much._"

He carried her inside the house and up the flights of stairs. "_She's really light,_" he thought. "_Even Naru isn't this light,_" he laughed at himself. But he even felt he was laughing to himself nervously, afraid Naru would hit out of nowhere as usual.

When he reached Motoko's room, he laid feet on the ground and slid the door open. Motoko, though, flinched a little; her eyes opened. She looked up at Keitaro. "What am I doing here?"

"You kinda fell asleep. I'm thinking you're just a bit tired from all the stuff that happened," he said. "You should just take a little bit of a rest," he suggested.

"I'll be fine," she said, standing up. "Really. I'll be okay."

After a pause, Keitaro nodded. "Oh, uh, I have to go the university. I have to bring something to Naru. You sure you gonna be okay?"

Motoko's eyes narrowed, "I'm not ten years old. I'm a big girl and I can stay alone in the house."

Keitaro shrugged and went off to Naru's room. "I'll be back in a little while," he said as he walked away.

She stood in the hallway, waiting for him. After a few seconds, he reappeared running toward the stairs. He stopped and looked to Motoko, "You sure you're gonna be okay?"

She nodded. And Keitaro walked at normal speed down to leave the dorm. She waited at the railing to watch him go. And as he did, he didn't look back at her. "_I guess they can make up,_" she thought.

"_It's easier when love isn't unclear,_" she continued. She closed her eyes solemnly before resigning to her room. As she entered, though, she stopped as if she realized something. Swallowing hard, she trudged down the stairs to the second floor. She felt her heart race, and her breath quiver. As she approached the doorway, she straightened up and tried to relax her breathing. Feeling ready, she took one last deep breath and peeked into Kitsune's room.

When she looked in, she sighed. Her shoulders shrugged and her back loosened up. "_I wonder where she could be,_" she thought. As she turned away from the room, she caught a glimpse of something on the floor. She walked over to inspect it.

Kneeling down, she found a puddle of one of Kitsune's drinks and shattered glass. She sighed, looking around at the pieces. Taking the trash can from the corner of the room, she began picking up the pieces that she could.

"_Why?_" she asked herself after every piece she picked up. "_Why does it all have to be like this?_"

After taking cleaning up the pieces, she sat down on Kitsune's futon and looked around her. It was still messy as usual. Several photos in frames littered the sparse tables in the room. Pictures of friends, a family photo, and some of the random things she's done. She stopped, though, at one photo in particular.

Motoko picked up the frame next to the futon. "_This is old_," she said to herself. It was a photo of a few years ago at some party they threw at the house. "_I think this is the only photo of just the two of us we ever took_," she thought. Motoko was in a pink tank top; Kitsune was dressed likewise.

"We look like we're together," she said softly. She held the frame as she picked up Kitsune's pillow. She clutched to her body, smelling it.

"_And her hair smells so wonderful_," she thought to herself. As she sat there, pillow to her chest, picture frame in the hand, she felt a weak, worried, and withered smile come across her face. She felt sadness as she smiled. She tried pushing that aside, but she knew that Kitsune could make her smile.

- -

After soaking in the baths for nearly an hour, Kitsune dressed herself in the small room adjacent to them. She stared at the bottle that remained unopened that she left on the floor. "_I'm too tired to even drink_," she thought.

After putting on a black cami, she collected up her towel and bottle and walked toward her room.

"_I don't even care anymore. I don't care if she loves me anymore_," she thought to herself sadly. "_She can just do whatever she wants. I can't stand waiting for her._"

She waited at the bottom of the stairs thinking to herself. She sighed, "_Why do I love someone that doesn't love me anyway?_"

She shook the thought from her head, trying to convince herself she didn't love Motoko. But what she thought and what she felt competed in her mind. But as she turned into her room, her mind stopped. She looked at the back of her room, and found the woman she loved sitting there.

"What're you doing here?" she asked weakly.

Motoko looked up surprised, "What? Oh, I-I-I just, uh, wanted to – you know. I wanted to see what you were doing." She put the picture frame back on the table closest to her and the pillow back on the futon.

"Okay. Well, I was taking a bath," Kitsune responded embarrassed, hiding the bottle behind her.

"I actually," she started, drawing out her last syllable, "wanted – well. I wanted to ask you something."

Kitsune nodded while trying to subtly put the bottle on a bookshelf.

"Apparently my idea to cheer Shinobu up was working and Yumi and she are going on a blind date," Motoko said.

"Okay. So you wanted to ask me something?"

Motoko hesitated before continuing, "Well, I was thinking we could, like, as friends, go to the same place. Not, you know, double date or something. Just end up at the same place."

"Where?" Kitsune said, slightly discouraged.

"I think he's taking her to Kanagawa's Neverland," she said. "I know it's nothing original. Keitaro's taken us there a couple times, but, you know. It might be fun. Us two – _friends_ – having fun. Trying to just, you know, talk," she stuttered on.

Kitsune shrugged. "I don't mind. I guess I'll go."

Motoko flailed her hands slightly embarrassed, "I mean, i-i-if you don't want to go. Then don't go. I-I'm not pressuring you or anything." Motoko tried to calm down, "I just thought we could try and sort this all out, you know?"

Kitsune nodded with a weak smile.

Motoko smiled in turn and headed for the door. She stopped before she fully left and turned to Kitsune. "If it means anything," she started. Kitsune looked back at Motoko. But, Motoko shook her head, "Never mind. I'm sorry I was intruding in your room." And Motoko left for hers.

Kitsune, still holding the bottle in her hand, stared at it for a few a seconds. Snapping herself back into reality, she placed it back on her upper shelf and plopped down on her futon and closed her eyes.

- - -

_Still a short chapter, but not the shortest at least. I enjoyed writing this particular chapter a lot, especially the Kitsune in her room section and Motoko's interaction with Kitsune's stuff. And, of course, I wanted Motoko to seem a little mousy with the whole thing. I have a weird way of portraying Motoko, I think. But, at most, I think it's kinda cute._

_Also, this is a slightly edited version of the chapter. I originally wrote this to show the two girls having fought and making this little outing without any explanation of time. From a reader's perspective, it seems like most of all this took place in about an hour. But, really, I guess I had to really say that there's a lot of time of cooling off._

_I originally thought it was clear enough by simply implying that Kitsune was in the baths so long that she cooled off and switched from depressive mode to slight acceptance mode (stages of grieving and such). Of course, that can happen quickly in some people, so it didn't make sense. The walking up the hill, the conversation itself, the time between last chapter and this (which was about 15 minutes), weren't at all accounted for. So I added a few things to give a better concept of time._

_From the end of last chapter to the end of this one, it's been about 3 – 3.5 hours in the story._

_SS_


	18. I:18: Being With You

_Okay, so this is going to be a long chapter. To make up for the past couple chapters being short, this one'll be the longest chapter in the story. At least, I think it will be._

- - -

Pink Camellias  
18 – Being With You…  
SethSolare

- - -

"So, uh, I called Shinobu, Keitaro," Yumihiko said over the phone. "So, whatever you wanted to do later on tonight is good for – well – whatever."

"What time are you picking her up now?" Keitaro asked, his ear plugged by his other hand trying to drown the sounds of the Tokyo street.

"Around three. We're gonna get some ice cream, hang out at the park and stuff," Yumihiko responded.

"You don't have to tell me where you're going to go," Keitaro laughed nervously. He stopped with the crowd at a crosswalk.

"I guess this would be sorta awkward, you feeling all brother-like with her and all," he said.

"Well, I guess she kinda deserves a guy like you. Motoko said some nice things about you before, you know, Kitsune," Keitaro walked onward through the crowded streets.

"That's a good compliment," Yumihiko responded happily. "Thanks for that. I'll be nice to her. But, I gotta get going. My break's almost up."

"Alright. That's fine. Maybe we'll see you tonight. Bye, now," Keitaro said.

"See you soon," Yumihiko said, and his phone clicked off. Keitaro closed his phone as well and kept on walking towards Tokyo University.

He passed through the opening to the campus, walking towards the library. Keitaro looked around as he sat down on a bench. Sighing, he pulled out his phone again, looking around before dialing Naru's number.

Opening his phone, he called her number while still looking around for her.

"Hello," Naru said, tapping him on the shoulder.

Keitaro jumped a little, closing his phone immediately, "Oh, wow, hey. There you are."

"Yeah, sorry, I had to help Mutsumi out a little – take her to the clinic and stuff," Naru said plainly.

"Oh, uh, is she alright?"

"Yeah. Just the usual stuff," she responded.

"Oh, so, yeah. I guess it's okay then," he said trying to shift around in his seat. "I got your book."

"I can see that," she said with a slightly sweeter voice.

"So, you gonna ask for it or should I just give it to you and leave?" he said, slightly saddened.

"About our fight," she started, "I'm sorry about all that."

"Yeah, well, I probably shouldn't've been like that either. It's just, you know, it was weird, fighting about them," he said.

"I'm kinda glad we fought, really," she said.

Keitaro looked at her puzzled, "What?"

Naru shifted to turn toward him, tucking her legs underneath her. "You know, first of all, that I love you. And, for all that love, we've never really had a full on, deep argument about stuff. Or, if we did, it was about really trivial stuff and it wasn't when we were all together.

"We fought once about my diary. And our closest fight ever was when I went and ran away after, you know, our thing. You know, when we were at all those hotels and we didn't really do anything."

Keitaro turned to her and smiled, "It was a little refreshing. Something important."

"Yeah, it was a good fight. Short, but good. And, I'm glad we had our first _real _fight. And, I think it's time we had our first, you know, make up… thing," she smiled.

"Really?" Keitaro's eyebrows rose.

"Yup," she said meekly.

Keitaro smiled, "Well, that's great. I kinda thought we'd make up and I thought we could go to Kanagawa's Neverland tonight. I mean, sure, Shinobu and Yumi'll be there, but we could do our own thing."

Naru giggled, "You can't be that oblivious."

"What?" he asked.

She giggled again, "You're so cute when you're clueless." She stood up from her seat and kissed Keitaro on the lips. "Go and get us tickets, then."

"What do you mean clueless?" he pushed.

"What do you mean Yumi and Shinobu?" she asked in return.

"Well, apparently Su really wanted to let Shinobu have a date. So, instead of Su going with Yumi, blind date for Shinobu."

"That's, like, weird. And Yumi's okay with the whole being thrown around thing?" Naru asked.

"Apparently," he answered. "They're both cute, I guess. They're both pretty special, right? I mean, last girl he went out with started dating a girl."

Naru hit him on the shoulder, "That's mean," she giggled. "And, yes, they're both very good picks."

"Also, uh, I think there might be something more going on tonight. I mean, sure, I'd like to take you to the place as our little celebration of our first fight. But, well, I kinda suggested that Motoko ask Kitsune to go there, too," he said, slightly embarrassed.

Naru smiled at him, "So you really want them to be together?"

Keitaro sighed in relief, "Well, at least you didn't get mad at me." Keitaro smiled up at her, "And yes. I do. They're wonderful together."

"And you're not just saying that because you think you might catch two girls making out on the couch one day?" Naru asked slyly.

Keitaro stood up as well and handed her the book. He leaned in, kissing her softly, "Go to class."

"Look at you, trying to be all smooth," Naru teased.

- -

"This is a nice place," Shinobu said, checking her hair as she walked into the building. "Is it any good?"

"I would be a terrible date if it was," Yumihiko responded, walking in behind her.

"You haven't been. In fact, you've made it a record three and a half hours with a movie and bit of lunch before that." Shinobu stepped into the interior and the smell of waffle cones wafted through the air. She smiled back at Yumihiko, "So I can get what I want?"

"As long as it's not that coconut flavored ice cream, get whatever you like. I think coconut is terrible," he said.

"What are you talking about? Coconut is great. In fact, I think I'll get it to spite you," she teased. She flipped her hair around and bounced over to the counter.

"_Wow, she's definitely, wow,_" Yumihiko thought to himself. He walked up behind her, looking at the flavors he hadn't tried.

"_He's cute. And he's tall. And why would Motoko want to give this guy up?_" Shinobu giggled to herself. "_I'm acting like a dreamy little girl. Gah, that's so not cute._"

Yumihiko laughed a little, noticing her face turn red. "You act so cute. It's, uh, cute," he stuttered, his own face turning red.

"You seem flustered, Yumi," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh, and you're not?" he retorted.

"Definitely. I'm a cool, sensible woman in the face of men. The shoes say so," she said defiantly.

Yumihiko laughed as the two approached the counter.

After getting their ice cream, they walked along in silence, eating ice cream. They neared the park and sat down at a bench in a sunken, paved clearing. Surrounding them were trees and a garden on the far end. Several people, some on dates of their own, littered the area around them.

Taking in the view of the place, Shinobu sighed as she ate. "This really wonderful," she said.

"What? You've never been on a date before?" he asked.

"Huh? What? Oh, uh, no, that's not it. It's just that, well, aside from one date a while back, that a lot of them have been kinda crappy. Especially my last boyfriend," she said.

"Why? What was he like?" Yumihiko asked.

"Well, he was more into the physical thing. You know, 'Hey, let's go back to my place and stuff. I'm just kinda bored with talking to you.' Really dumb stuff like that," she said.

"Oh," Yumihiko responded. "It would be weird, I guess. I'm more of a talk and ice cream kind of guy myself."

"I can see that," she said, happily eating her ice cream. "I can hardly believe we've spent all this time together. I mean, I can hardly stand to be around the rest of the girls for this long."

"I bet it's a bit hectic at Hinata house. But, I bet Keitaro likes living there, being around girls all the time," he laughed.

"Actually, I bet he'd tell you it's overrated. Having to clean up and do stuff for us girls all the time is probably a pain for him. But, something tells me that he kinda likes it, too. Especially when Naru's around," she said.

"I can imagine. Motoko kinda mentioned stuff about them. Perfect relationship and stuff," he said, finishing up his own ice cream.

"They are kind of perfect. It's like, you know, destiny and stuff. Every girl dreams about that," she said.

"Every girl?"

"Every girl," she responded. "We've all got our fantasy wedding and stuff like that in our heads. Perhaps that movie star guy. But Naru's got her fantasy."

Yumihiko smiled to himself and looked away from Shinobu.

Shinobu turned quickly to him, "I mean, not that I've been thinking that far ahead and all. I mean, you know, we just met so it'd be kind of weird. I was just talking about the other two."

Yumihiko laughed, "I know. You didn't seem the type that would get all dreamy around a guy like me."

"Don't say that. You've been a wonderful date," she said, wolfing down her ice cream. She continued to talk with a muffled voice and ice cream in her mouth, "Most awesome date ever."

"Ever? In the history of dates, this is the best one?" Yumihiko asked.

Shinobu swallowed down the chunk of cone and ice cream, "Yup."

"Cool," Yumihiko smiled and nodded in appreciation. "So shouldn't we be meeting up with the rest of the crowd? Or is it just going to be us?"

"Motoko and Kitsune? We're not supposed to meet up with them, remember?" she reminded. "I _do _know that Motoko's gonna try and leave the house first without Kitsune."

"Why's that?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Probably doesn't want it to seem like a date. Or, you now, maybe she wants it to seem more so like a date, meeting up and all. It's weird dating someone you live with. But, like, I kind of worry about those two," Shinobu said.

"I'm kind of the reason for that worry, though. Kitsune thought that Motoko and I were getting all together-y a few days ago. But, she was just, you know, Motoko."

Shinobu laughed a little. "It's been like that with them for days, now. They don't talk to each other. They can't even look at each other. It's all pins and needles and it's hard for them, I bet.

"I mean, I like them both. But, if they're not together, it's just weird. They even had a fight this morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Keitaro called me today. Before you picked me up, in fact. Anyway, he kinda mentioned those two meeting us there and, me being curious, had to ask why. So, they're apparently trying to work things out. Or at least Motoko wants to. Kitsune, maybe not."

"Why?"

Shinobu sighed, "So many questions, you." She patted him on the back. "At least you're more interested in my life than my last guy. You're pretty special."

"Like, 'stop-eating-the-paste' special?" he laughed.

Shinobu laughed with him.

- - -

Kitsune and Motoko waited in silence at the front of the park for their friends. It had been nearly twenty minutes with no phone calls or anything. Kitsune felt more nervous with every second. She tried to keep the morning out of her head, but she knew that whatever damage she'd done started a week ago.

Motoko, on the other hand, tried to be calmer. She felt confident in front of Kitsune. "_This has to work. For the both of us, this has to work,_" she thought to herself. Turning to Kitsune, "We should just go into the park without them. They'll call us if they want to meet up."

Kitsune looked up at her, trying to push away her discomfort, "I guess. I have my phone with me, so, yeah. I guess they'll call."

Motoko nodded, "Well, let's go." She took Kitsune's hand, smiled, and led her inside.

Within, they started off with roller coasters and spinning stuff. Kitsune, after some time, began to finally relax. As she laughed with Motoko, she remembered that this was much easier with someone. Life was easier. She felt herself becoming who she was again.

Motoko felt herself draining into Kitsune. Her happiness with Kitsune was all that seemed to matter as they plummeted several stories on the roller coasters. And, as they got off the rides, it all seemed to be like it was. Like the morning didn't matter.

"So, let's get some really good sake, hmm? I get to buy drinks and stuff," Kitsune said happily.

"I'm the one that asked you out. I should be doing that," Motoko said, smirking.

"A date? Is that what this is?" Kitsune asked, smiling back.

"Well, no. It's not supposed to be. We're supposed to be good with everything and have fun and all that stuff," Motoko responded.

"Good. Then since it's not a date, drinks for both of us," Kitsune said, starting to march off.

Motoko, though, grabbed back at Kitsune's arm and led her away. "Better idea," she said.

"Better? What's better than this place's sake?" Kitsune complained with a bit of a giggle.

Motoko continued to lead Kitsune through the pack of people to a nice little café, lit, now, by evening lights. The building itself was fashioned in a European style, a reddish, coppery hue came from within.

Kitsune looked up at the place, "Coffee's good, too." She shrugged as she followed Motoko inside.

"Actually, you need to try… this," Motoko said, shoving a piece of a chocolate covered banana slice into Kitsune's mouth.

Kitsune nodded in appreciation, "Mmm, you know, Su should totally be here for this."

"Actually, she bought out the entire store last time we were here, with Keitaro," Motoko laughed. "She still has some in her room somewhere."

Kitsune became distracted by the display cases. Within them were hundreds of confectionary treats that she'd never even seen. Many of these were imported, rare, and expensive. Waving Motoko over, "Since you took me here and asked me to this place, buy me that." Kitsune pointed at a huge loaf of fudge. In front of it was the sign, "Chocolate Coconut Coffee Fudge."

"I'll get you slice with some cof-"

"No, the whole thing. The whole… loaf. Is that what I call it? Loaf?" Kitsune asked giggling to herself.

"I think it is a loaf. Do you even want coffee?" Motoko asked, her stomach feeling slightly queasy.

Kitsune noticed Motoko's visible discomfort, "Hey, you don't have to eat it. But that looks amazing. It would be a crime not to get it."

"Well, it's your stomach," Motoko said. And she turned to place the order for the full loaf of fudge and two coffees. As soon as it was all wrapped up, they went outside and sat under the night sky surrounded by lights and sounds.

Kitsune took a sip of coffee and opened up the package of fudge. It was shaped like a long loaf of bread, sliced as such. Tearing off a piece, she popped it into her mouth and shivered a little, "This is amazing. It's crazy."

"You're crazy if you think you're ever going to finish that," Motoko said, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I can, and I will. But not tonight," she responded.

Motoko looked out at the park, realizing that they'd been there for nearly three hours. "You know, they never did call us."

"No. And I'm perfectly okay with that," Kitsune said, downing another bite with a sip of coffee right after it.

"Well, I guess Keitaro planned on it," she said.

"Planned on it? What do you mean?"

"He was kind of the one that suggested I take you here tonight. I mean, you know, after our… fight," she said meekly.

"It was a fight," Kitsune shrugged. "We used to have those a lot."

"Yeah, but never that intense. No actual blaming and stuff," Motoko said softly.

Kitsune shrugged again, "I'm okay. We were meant to fight. But, it's good we can still, you know, be friends."

Motoko nodded, "Friends, yeah."

"What?" Kitsune asked.

"No, friends is good."

"And, you know, don't worry about Friday. After this afternoon, it might be a good idea to stay friends," Kitsune said, her smile slowly disintegrating. In her head, she wished for Motoko to say differently. But after a few seconds of nothing, she turned away, shrugging again.

"I just, you know, need some time," Motoko tried to get her voice above the crowd around her.

Kitsune tried ignoring the words, trying to find something else to do. "_I need to change this whole thing. Need a distraction,_" she thought to herself.Then, jumping from her seat, she quickly repacked the fudge loaf and grabbed her coffee. "Come on, follow me."

Motoko barely even noticing Kitsune had even stood up, jumped up and followed on. As she followed, she felt more boggled by what had happened. "_This was supposed to be me doing stuff. I mean, what am I doing? Why am I feeling worse and worse about this? How did this get turned on me?_"

And as she had her last thought, she stared straight up. It was a large Ferris Wheel. In the night sky, it seemed to be coated with glitter and some other magical shine. Each little basket had beautiful windows and were neatly painted.

The two girls entered into their own little world in the Ferris Wheel basket sitting opposite each other. But as they sat there, they were silent. "_Maybe this was a terrible distraction_," Kitsune thought.

"So, why'd you want to do this?" Motoko asked with a slightly forced laugh.

"I don't know. It seemed like a really good idea," Kitsune responded, not believing herself.

"It does. It is," Motoko said. "But, well, don't you think we should, you know, sit next to each other?"

Kitsune tried shrugging it off again, "If you want to." And Kitsune made room next to her. Motoko, then, sat next to Kitsune. And the two sat in silence, watching the park below slowly drift away from them.

Kitsune looked toward Motoko with a weird look, "I feel a bit weird."

"And you really wanted to get fudge?" Motoko asked sarcastically.

"Well, it seemed like a really good idea before the Ferris Wheel idea. And then it wasn't a good idea."

"Well, here," Motoko said, taking Kitsune's hand. With only her thumb, she began gently rubbing the back of her hand. "Does that make you feel a bit better?"

"No. I still feel funny," Kitsune said. "But it feels nice."

"Well," Motoko shrugged, "then I'll keep up on it."

Kitsune closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Motoko looked over at the girl, not understanding what she was really thinking. "_This is just so awkward. I really blew it this morning and she doesn't want to even be here. This was a terrible idea_," she thought to herself.

Kitsune tilted her head over more to Motoko's shoulder. Finally, trying to get comfortable, she rested her head on Motoko's shoulder while still holding onto her hand. Her eyes still closed and her voice soft, "Don't move. I might throw up on you and that won't be good."

Motoko's body relaxed as she sat, unmoving.

- -

Below, at the bottom of the Ferris Wheel, the four absentees watched the basket containing the two girls circled around.

"That was really sweet of you, Keitaro," Naru said clutching Keitaro's arm.

"Do you think this'll be good for them?" Yumihiko asked.

Shinobu pushed up against him, "Hey, don't say stuff like that. They're really trying… I think."

Yumihiko laughed at the phrase and turned away from the attraction. He and Shinobu began walking away toward the café that the girls had been to earlier.

"We should get going, Keitaro. You know, before they see us," Naru urged on.

Keitaro smiled, "So you think what I did was really nice?"

Naru scoffed, "Are you trying to get points with me?"

"When am I not?"

She rolled here eyes and followed the other two. "Fine. I'll cuddle tonight. We'll even sleep in your room," she teased.

"Then let's hope this _is _a good thing," Keitaro said, following Naru toward the other two.

- -

In her room, Kitsune threw her coat aside toward the back of the room. The gigantic loaf of fudge sat on the table in the middle of her room. "_Aside from the obvious weirdness, it was a good night_."

She hung up her coat and began dressing for bed. She switched into her favorite pink cami and shorts and tucked herself into the futon at the back of her room. Before switching off a small lamp on her floor, the only light source, she looked up at the framed picture of she and Motoko at a Cherry Blossom festival. She smiled before shutting off her light.

Seconds later, though, a light tap came from her door. And, then, a small crack of light entered in from the hallway. "_It's nearly midnight. Can't I ever get sleep?_" she asked herself as she sat up, pulling up her blanket to cover herself.

"It's me," Motoko said from the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah, of course," Kitsune responded.

Sliding the door open fully, she entered as Kitsune turned on the small lamp again. Motoko entered wearing the same clothes as Kitsune. Closing the door behind her, she stood in the opposite corner of the room. "I have to say something. And, you have to promise not to interrupt me."

"I won't," Kitsune said slowly, trying to read Motoko.

"Good, then, well, I have to say that this, tonight, was good. I mean, I was happy. I know you looked like it. And, when I asked you to do this thing, I hadn't planned on it being very date-like. I wanted it to be just friend stuff. Obviously a relationship wasn't working with us."

Kitsune nodded slowly.

"And, well, frankly, I had originally thought that this thing tonight would help me realize that we can still be really good as friends."

Kitsune looked away from Motoko, slowly trying to connect the words together.

"I mean, that's not to say that my answer on Friday wouldn't have been yes. I mean, it might have been. B-But, that's not important. Today, you know, we both really hurt each other. I mean, you know, I-I said some things that I shouldn't have said about you. And, well, there was the whole ultimatum thing. And that really hurt me.

"Honestly, we've been nothing but a world of hurt for each other. A-And, so far, that-that hasn't worked out so well. So, you know, maybe going back to friends like I had wanted to today wasn't such a bad idea."

Kitsune looked away, disappointed.

"And I know it's hard. I mean, we've tried so hard to make this work. But, really, there hasn't been a lot of it. We just kinda threw each other together without really making an effort at making a relationship. And-and that kind of thing is a lot of hard work.

"We just kinda made out one day in the rain. That was just, you know, sort of random. Relationships should take time. It's a-a-a step by step kind of thing. We should, you know, really work hard at things like building trust, and being together, and cuddling up together some nights, talking more, doing things together.

"I mean, I always imagined that whatever relationship I had, it would form, you know? I mean, I wanted to talk the time to, like, make things happen. Or let them happen. Something. And, I wanted to have that time. I wanted to spend all that time. I know it's such a long process, but it's needed."

Kitsune put up her hand to stop Motoko from speaking, but it was ignored. Motoko continued.

"I dreamed of the relationship I wanted. I wanted it to be slow. And, I didn't get that. W-We… we didn't get that. This all should've taken time. And it needed it. And you know what?"

Kitsune looked up, her eyes blinking rapidly. A small tear began forming at her eyes. "What?" she asked meekly.

"I don't care about that anymore," Motoko said with a sigh of relief. "Can you, just… Can you please just come here. Kiss me," she whispered.

Kitsune looked stared back at Motoko, her mouth agape.

"Please? Kiss me?" Motoko repeated.

Kitsune's muscles relaxed. She felt a soft smile come across her face as she stood up from her futon. Motoko inched forward toward Kitsune. Holding each other, Kitsune felt herself gripping tightly to Motoko with both arms. Her breath quickened. And as she closed her eyes, Kitsune felt the soft lips touch hers. She smiled through the kiss as she felt herself fall away. She felt herself, her lover, fall down to the futon. The weight of Motoko on top of her, their lips still together.

Motoko broke the kiss for a second to whisper a few words. Then, the lights were gone.

"I love you, too," Kitsune responded.

- - -

_A nice climactic chapter. Uh… no pun intended . _

_I tried to make the implications at the end obvious. Obvious in the sense that they are both like… 20-ish. So, yeah. I'm not gonna spell it out._

_Anyway, I really worked hard on formulating the last speech the Motoko gave. By working hard, I mean, I kinda just wrote stuff down and made her repeat stuff a lot. I had an idea of what she would say… the concepts and stuff. But, I never really thought out what exactly she would say. I just started typing away and seeing how long I could draw it out. And, in the end, that's what I got._

_For those that think I stole the last scene from Buffy when Tara/Willow had their conversation similar to this. Yes, I did watch the show. And I had already planned this entire thing. Though, the drawing out of the conversation and some elements of Motoko's speech were filled with Tara's stuff, it was all mainly filler stuff. I wanted to draw it out as long as I could before I couldn't take it anymore. So, I pulled from just about every romantic speech I could think of, and the Tara/Willow thing was the one that came to mind. So, sorry. (_

_Hope you enjoyed the story so far. I figure there'll be an epilogue. Or, hey, maybe even a continuation at some point. Maybe life after finally falling in love._

_See you soon._

_SS _


	19. I:19: Happier Than Usual

Pink Camellias  
19 – Happier Than Usual  
SethSolare

- - -

In the early morning, the light of day shone on the thin coverings of Kitsune's doors. She shifted under the covers before opening her eyes to the slight mess that was her room. The dim light from outside shone on the laundry she hadn't done and on the clothes next to her futon. Two pink camis laid on the floor next shorts and underwear. Realizing that the night before wasn't a dream, she smiled.

Pulling the blanket closer to her body, she felt for Motoko's arm around her bare skin. She gently held on to the other woman's hand and took a deep breath. After a second one, she slowly pried Motoko's hand off her body as she groped for her clothes. She pulled at the covers trying to keep herself covered. However, as she did, it tugged on Motoko who had been sleeping on the blankets the whole night.

Motoko groaned softly in a complaining way. Kitsune shook her head as she grabbed her cami and the rest of her clothes. Awkwardly, she put on her clothes from under the covers. "_What am I worried about? I mean, it's not like we haven't taken a bath together, seen each other naked,_" she thought, rolling her eyes. But, part of her felt too modest after last night. She shrugged, as she threw the blanket back on top of Motoko when she finished dressing. She, then, kissed her girlfriend on the forehead before leaving her room.

As she stepped out of her room, she met with another woman, Naru. She had already been dressed out of Keitaro's room in a nice, formal skirt and blouse. "You look nice. Special presentation at class today or something?" Kitsune asked.

Naru looked over at Kitsune slightly puzzled, "You forgot? I mean, I can understand considering that _we _could hear you. Well, maybe her. Either way, you guys thought you were quiet? No."

Kitsune blushed and scoffed as she leaned on the railing of the house. "So what? And what did I forget?" she asked, trying to avoid talking about the night before.

"You seriously forgot?" Naru asked with slight disbelief.

Kitsune returned the look, puzzled.

"Well, it's just as well. Su didn't tell a lot of us about it. She's kind of embarrassed but-"

"Oh, crap, I forgot. Her graduation ceremony is today!" Kitsune exclaimed, her jaw dropping. "I've got to get dressed. And I haven't worn anything _nice _in forever."

"Well, I can see that," Naru giggled, pointing out Kitsune's very sheer clothing.

"Shut up, Naru," Kitsune's eyes narrowed.

Her expression softening, "So you guys are okay now? Like, for real?"

"I hope so. I mean, we just kind of went at it last night. I guess I sorta figure we're okay. But, I want to be sure. Maybe I might ask her," Kitsune responded in a soft tone.

Naru smiled, "You guys look great together. She's cute. You're cute. It's a whole bundle of cuteness."

"Really?" Kitsune asked, trying to hold back her smile.

Naru turned to Kitsune, looking into her eyes, "Really. This happiness thing looks good on you."

Kitsune smiled as she turned back to her room. She reentered her cluttered room to find a fully dressed Motoko. "I heard you and Naru talking," she said.

"Yeah," Kitsune said, slightly uncomfortable.

"We're good. Really, really, _really_, good," Motoko sighed. "And, well, I think I gave you an answer to your ultimatum last night." Motoko smiled coyly at Kitsune.

"Stop it," Kitsune giggled. "You're being all girly-girl. It's weird on you."

"You'll get used to it. I feel all in-love and stuff. It's making me all girly-girl-like," Motoko said.

Kitsune walked over to Motoko and kissed her lips softly. "So did you forget that Su's graduation ceremony is today?"

Motoko laughed, "She's my best friend. I wouldn't forget. And, besides, she reminded me in a text message before our date yesterday."

"Oh, so last night _was _a date," Kitsune said, taking hold of Motoko.

"Well, it is now. Or, _was_ a date? I don't know. It sounds funny either way."

"I need to look all nice for the event. You gonna go change, too?" Kitsune said as she walked to her closet.

Motoko's eyes narrowed, "No, I totally plan on wearing what I slept in to this."

Kitsune giggled, "You didn't sleep in that."

Motoko nodded with laugh and walked toward the door. "I'm wearing something black and white. Kinda plain. Since we're together, we might want to, you know, match." She coughed sarcastically at Kitsune.

"I'm not gonna be one of those couples that wear matching outfits." Kitsune continued to look through her clothes.

Motoko shrugged as she opened the door and stepped outside. "Well, I'll see you in a bit. And uh," she stopped. She walked back over to Kitsune and kissed her softly again, "And I love you."

"Get dressed. We don't want to be late," Kitsune said, making a pouting face. "And I love you, too."

Motoko started once again for the door and headed past a grinning Naru to her room.

- -

"Hey, everyone! I'm so happy you decided to come out," Su yelled from the school entrance. She waved her diploma in front of everyone; her face as happy as ever.

"You look older now, Su," Shinobu said with a smile.

"I _feel _older. It's kinda neat," she replied. "But what's more awesome is that _you _two look awesome together," she said, turning towards Motoko and Kitsune.

The two girls smiled, first at each other then at Su. Motoko, letting go of Kitsune's hand, moved forward to Su. "I'm really proud of you. And you got into Tokyo U the first try. And you're just amazing, you know that?" Motoko began to tear up as she hugged Su.

"You know," Su said, straining, "you have an awfully tight grip."

Motoko stepped back, "It's just wonderful seeing you so accomplished."

"Yes, and now you are one of us," Naru said from behind her.

Su giggled and looked past the gleaming girls, "And Keitaro, thank you for believing in me."

Keitaro blushed, hearing her sound so adult. "It's not a big deal. You did this all by yourself. I kinda just helped when it got too rough, which it didn't much."

"Well, if you say so. Regardless, what you did was awesome." Su then looked past him and to another, "And thank you, Tsuruko, for staying for so long. I'm sure you must be missing your home."

Tsuruko bowed to Su, "This is your special day. I wouldn't miss seeing you here, someone so like Motoko's other sister."

"Are you leaving today, Tsuruko?" Su asked.

"I'm afraid so. Tonight, in fact," she said.

Su looked at the other girls and Keitaro, "Then it's time we get home and partied!"

- -

When they arrived, they found Haruka, Mutsumi, and Yumihiko waiting inside the house. Behind them, the foyer was decorated with balloons and a banner. The words read plainly, "Congratulations!" She smiled happily at the two women and gave them hugs as the rest piled in past them and into the kitchen. Then, she turned to Yumihiko.

"Now, why did you come here?" she asked as everyone had already headed off to the dining room.

"Well, Keitaro told me about it last night before I left," he said. "I kinda wanted to stop by and give my regards. And, of course, my regards to Motoko's sister."

"Well, you're more than welcome to stay. I want you here and I'm sure Shinobu does, too."

He smiled, "I, uh, wanted to thank you for setting me up with her."

She smiled back, "I think she'd happier than you are."

"What're you doing out here with him?" Shinobu asked smiling. "Keeping him from me?"

"He wanted to be all smooth by getting in good with your friends," Su replied with a giggle.

Yumihiko took Shinobu's hands, "Is it working?"

"No. It's totally contrived. You don't get points and I'm a difficult girl to please," she said, folding her arms.

"If I can give you advice, Shinobu likes it when guys do randomly nice things. Even when they don't ask. In fact, she really likes it when they take charge and do awesomely sweet things, like stay for her friend's graduation lunch," Su nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm into that stuff. You want to be that guy?" Shinobu laughed.

Yumihiko shrugged and walked past the girls and into the dining room. The remaining two girls giggled as they followed behind him. As he entered the dining room, Su pulled Shinobu aside before they could be seen by the others.

"You didn't come to my room last night and tell me how it all went, Shinobu," Su said.

"Well, that's because I could talk. It was _that _amazing," Shinobu replied.

"So, what now? Did he ask you out on another date?"

Shinobu nodded. "It's kind of neat, really. I mean, he's nice. He's cute. He even opens doors. He buys me stuff. And I couldn't stop staring at him."

"Buys you stuff? That's actually important?" Su asked skeptically.

Shinobu frowned, "Have you met my ex-boyfriend? Because last time I checked, he never did anything nice."

"True," Su shrugged. "So did he say what you're doing on the next date?"

Shinobu shrugged back, "He didn't say anything about it. Maybe it'll be a surprise. I don't know. I'm sure it'll be nice, though."

"Like, how nice? Like just dinner and a movie? Or just dinner? Just movie? Dinner and a movie at his place? What?" Su asked excitedly.

"I don't know! But, I'm all excited. I hope it's like, dinner, movie, and kisses and stuff at his place. Who knows? Besides, if anything at all, it'll be another opportunity to stare at him." The two girls giggled in the hallway.

After composing themselves, they walked into the dining room where everyone was already waiting. The food was prepared by Keitaro and Mutsumi's hands. They smiled proudly before their work and at the graduated young woman who sat down next to Motoko. As they sat, the food was served to everyone. And Su, of course, got the first and hugest portions.

"So? How does it feel?" Mutsumi asked. "Do you feel older now?"

Su nodded. "Though, I'm going to have to start school soon. It's going to be kind of crazy. I mean, it's funny how when you grow up you're privileged with more responsibility," Su shrugged. "Kind of makes me want to stay young. But, you know, responsibility isn't so bad."

"That's very adult of you, Su," Motoko said.

Su smiled through her chewing.

- -

By the evening, everyone who didn't live at the Hinata house, Mutsumi, Haruka, and Yumihiko, decided to leave. It wasn't entirely late, but there was no more food for dinner, and, at least Yumihiko, felt like he didn't want to impose. So, he said his goodbyes before leaving. As he left the house, Shinobu followed him outside to the top of the steps leading down the hill.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" She asked.

"I love hanging out here. Keitaro seems like a really cool guy to hang out with. And, well, what guy doesn't want to hang out with a bunch of girls?" he laughed.

Shinobu slapped him on the arm, "Hey, now. I live with them." She smiled up at him, "So, about the second date. When do you want to do that?"

"Tomorrow," he said confidently.

"Tomorrow? Did you plan on letting me know a little earlier?"

"Just dress up in whatever you like. Doesn't matter, really. I like you in whatever you're wearing," Yumihiko responded.

"Is that why you think I want to know if you planned ahead? So I can plan on what to wear?" Shinobu frowned playfully. "Well, fine. I'll wear what I want. So, if I show up in a clown suit, you won't care?"

"Nope. But, you might."

Shinobu giggled, "Okay, fine. Something reasonable. See? That was clear enough."

"In the morning, then. I'll pick you up," he said.

"Morning? But, what? _Morning_?" Shinobu asked.

"Yeah. I hear you're a morning girl anyway."

Shinobu rolled her eyes, "Fine. It better be amazing."

"Well, from what I hear, amazing is you staring at me," he laughed as he turned to walk down the steps.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" she asked, chasing after him. She stopped him on the steps where he stood 2 steps below her. She leaned in to kiss him softly, quickly. When she let him go, he smiled back at her before turning back down the steps.

Running back inside, she saw Tsuruko's bags along with their owner standing by the door talking to Motoko. The other girls surrounded the pair as Shinobu walked back inside. "You're leaving already?" Shinobu asked.

"I'm afraid so. My husband called yesterday and said he was very lonely and bored without me there. I guess I have to save him," Tsuruko smiled.

"Anyway, we'll be back," Motoko said, as Kitsune grabbed a piece of luggage. "Taking her to the train station, and stuff. Last hugs anyone?"

Everyone in the room gave their regards and a hug to Tsuruko. And after saying their goodbyes, the three women – Tsuruko, Motoko, and Kitsune – left the house.

The trio walked in silence towards the station. Kitsune lagged behind the sisters by a few footsteps as the other two walked side-by-side. It wasn't a long walk to the station. And, as Tsuruko noticed, she had about 10 minutes before she had to board the train. Her luggage was taken away into her little room as she waited outside with her sister and Kitsune.

Turning toward Kitsune, "Do you mind if we talk? I'd like to just talk to Motoko alone."

Kitsune nodded and walked off into the main station.

Motoko looked at her sister nervously. But, a soft hug took that away and Tsuruko stared down her little sister. "You look all grown up, now."

Motoko smiled weakly.

"Hey, that was an actual compliment."

"Oh, I know. It's just that part of me thinks you're not okay with Kitsune," Motoko said with a serious face.

"So that's why you've been avoiding me for the past few days?" Tsuruko asked, still smiling.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Motoko fretted. "I just – I needed to work things out, you know, by myself."

"I don't care about that, Motoko. What I care about is that you're happy. I always want you to be happy, Motoko. That's all that matters to me."

Motoko sniffed a little, "So you're alright with Kitsune?"

"She's the one that convinced me to give you a chance at being in a lesbian relationship and in our family," Tsuruko assured Motoko. "She's a really great girl."

"Thanks," Motoko blushed. "I'm pretty happy, now."

"Stay that way," Tsuruko nodded. She hugged Motoko as she saw Kitsune watching them. Beckoning Kitsune over, she released Motoko. She took a bow before Kitsune, "Please watch over my sister. Make her happier than anyone ever could."

Kitsune blushed along with Motoko. "Uh, I-I-I will. I want to. Motoko's very special."

"I know that. And you make her that way," Tsuruko said, hugging Kitsune goodbye.

"Stop that! You're making me all weepy and embarrassed, Tsuruko," Motoko yelled.

"Okay, okay. I'll get going. Call me from time to time, okay?" Tsuruko said. She turned away from the girls and stopped at the entrance of the train. "And let me know if you need anything."

"We will," the two girls said in unison. And Tsuruko disappeared into the train.

Motoko let a small tear drip down her cheek. Kitsune, seeing her like this, gave Motoko a small kiss before wrapping her arm around her and leading her home. As they turned to walk away, the train started to drift away from them. Motoko clung onto Kitsune likewise as they left the station and returned home.

- - -

_Not a lot really happens in this chapter. I added an appearance by Tsuruko and Mutsumi because I just simply didn't use their characters that much. I kind of feel bad about that. But, really, I had no place for them._

_Just a nice transition chapter. And, yes, I have an all new conflict for the Hinata girls and boy. Well, all the characters since. I've planned a bit of it, but I'm going to try and finish the planning stages. This means that next chapter might take a while._

_Regardless, it'll be out soon enough. See you all soon, then._

_SS_


End file.
